Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger say same thing about Lee Mason after major VAR blunder during Arsenal draw
The VAR mistake made by Lee Mason during the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Brentford on Saturday has caused anger among Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal supporters.
The Gunners took the lead in the match with a goal from Leandro Trossard, who was set up by Bukayo Saka, but Brentford equalized just eight minutes later through Ivan Toney.
However, it was later discovered that Mason failed to draw the correct offside lines during the build-up to Toney’s goal, with midfielder Christian Norgaard, who assisted Toney, being offside.
The error was so significant that the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) reached out to Arsenal to explain the mistake. This is not the first time that Arsenal has had a reason to be unhappy with Mason.
In 2016, Arsenal had a goalless draw with Southampton and former manager Arsene Wenger expressed his frustration with referee Lee Mason after the match.
Wenger told Mason, “It’s always the same with you,” indicating that this was not the first time he had issues with the official’s performance.
Similarly, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has also expressed his dissatisfaction with Lee Mason’s officiating. Klopp was angry when Liverpool was not awarded a penalty for a foul on Mohamed Salah during a 1-1 draw with Fulham in the 2020/21 season.
He felt that it was a clear foul on Salah, but Mason did not make the call.
Although Andre Marriner was the on-field referee for that match, Klopp specifically targeted Lee Mason, who was serving as the VAR official. In his post-match press conference, Klopp asked, “What exactly did Lee Mason say?” expressing his confusion and frustration with the VAR decision.
“I am not sure what Lee Mason is doing at home but that is not ‘normal contact’ in football. It’s not a big deal but there is contact and it’s enough contact to get an advantage.
“It’s a foul. But we cannot change it, I only spoke about it because you asked me.”
Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger say same thing about Lee Mason after major VAR blunder during Arsenal draw
