Howard Webb Under Pressure After VAR Farce — Premier League Refereeing Faces Calls For ‘Fewer Words And More Action’

It was supposed to be another weekend of Premier League football. Instead, refereeing controversy once again dominated the conversation.

From Mikel Arteta’s fury after Arsenal conceded a penalty against Sunderland to the extraordinary VAR intervention that awarded Erling Haaland’s goal in the Manchester derby, Pro Ref has found itself under intense scrutiny.

The Haaland decision proved particularly damaging. The on-field officials initially ruled the Manchester City striker offside, only for VAR to overturn the call — before Pro Ref later admitted that the goal should not have stood and apologised for an “error of judgement”.

Now the debate has moved beyond individual decisions.

With coaches, players and supporters questioning the consistency of refereeing and VAR, Mirror Football writers have delivered their verdicts on whether Howard Webb’s leadership of Pro Ref needs to change.

Daniel Orme: Change VAR, Not Necessarily Pro Ref

Daniel Orme believes the bigger problem lies with the VAR system itself rather than Pro Ref.

Refereeing decisions will always be debated, he argues, but that does not mean the current system is working properly.

His solution is to give managers the ability to challenge decisions, similar to systems used in rugby and cricket.

That would put more control in the hands of the teams rather than leaving every major incident to the VAR process.

Orme also believes football needs referees who are able to make confident decisions without relying so heavily on technology.

The Haaland controversy, in his view, showed exactly why the current system is creating more frustration rather than removing it.

Andy Dunn: Webb Has Become Too Visible

Andy Dunn takes a different view.

He argues that changing the name from PGMOL to Pro Ref was never going to solve the deeper problems facing English refereeing.

What the organisation needs, Dunn believes, is a clear figurehead — and that puts the spotlight firmly on Howard Webb.

Webb has improved communication around controversial decisions, but Dunn argues that another high-profile error like the one at Old Trafford cannot simply be brushed aside.

There is also a wider question over whether supporters really need repeated explanations from the head of refereeing after obvious mistakes.

Dunn’s view is blunt: a good referee should barely be noticed.

“At right now, that’s not the case with Webb,” he argues.

John Cross: High-Profile Errors Are Wiping Out The Progress

John Cross points to the improvements Pro Ref can put forward on paper — fewer interventions, quicker checks and a better overall VAR process.

But none of that means much when a major error dominates the weekend.

The Haaland incident, Cross argues, left almost everyone asking how the goal could possibly have been allowed to stand.

And the problem goes beyond Manchester.

Michael Carrick questioned the decision after United’s defeat, while Arteta had already voiced his frustration over Arsenal’s penalty against Sunderland.

Cross also questions the consistency of VAR enforcement, particularly when new refereeing directives are introduced.

His concern is that one match can have a “lighter touch” while another sees officials intervene heavily, leaving clubs unsure of what standard will be applied from one game to the next.

For Cross, that lack of consistency ultimately leads back to the leadership.

James Whaling: ‘Fewer Words And More Action’

James Whaling believes the finger now needs to be pointed higher.

The most frustrating part of the Manchester derby controversy, he argues, is that the on-field officials had initially made the correct call.

VAR changed it.

Whaling questions whether Webb has delivered on the task he was given when he took charge of Pro Ref, namely making VAR quicker, smoother and more accurate.

He also expects Webb to explain the Manchester derby mistake in the coming weeks, alongside Michael Owen, and worries that another apology and promise to improve will simply lead to the same cycle repeating.

The season is only four games old, yet a decision has already emerged that could potentially have major consequences later in the campaign.

The Webb Question Is Getting Louder

The argument is no longer simply about whether Haaland was onside.

It is about whether Premier League clubs and supporters can trust the system to apply the same standards consistently — and whether Pro Ref is actually moving refereeing forward.

There are different answers to the problem. Some want VAR fundamentally changed. Others believe the leadership itself needs a rethink.

But after a weekend in which two major decisions once again became the story, one demand is becoming harder to ignore:

fewer words, more action — and fast.