What the VAR official was really looking at when the 'FPL' accusation went viral during Arsenal vs Liverpool
The device in the Referee assistant video hub had the Premier League Match Manager app open, not Fantasy Premier League, it has been confirmed.
An image of the scene of Arsenal's clash against Liverpool It went viral on social media on Sunday night, with some fans thinking a screen showed an official playing FPL while at work.
But now, it has been reported that the Premier League Match Manager app is regularly used in the VAR center, not in FPL.
Dale Johnson, ESPN journalist. wrote on X: “This is the Premier League Match Manager app, not the Fantasy Premier League.
“Of course, there are no personal devices in the VAR center.”
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has been back in the spotlight over the past few weeks.
In Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth earlier this month, the body insisted that boss Howard Webb had nothing to do with the expulsion of William Saliba after a VAR review.
This was despite television cameras showing him looking at his phone during the decision.
West Ham then received a controversial penalty In added time against Manchester United, Jarrod Bowen stepped up to score the winning goal.
Bruno Fernandes and Matthijs de Ligt were outraged by the decision.
Then, in the match in which the 'FPL' image went viral, Arsenal fans also felt made hard by the officials.
As the game entered added time with the score at 2-2, Curtis Jones botched a clearance, allowing Jakub Kiwior to beat Dominik Szoboszlai in the air.
Kai Havertz then controlled the ball ahead of Ibrahim Konate.
But Anthony Taylor blew the whistle to return the game to his delayed decision on what he considered a foul by Szoboszlai.
Arsenal It continued without realizing it, but despite Gabriel Jesús finding the net, the VAR was unable to intervene to review a possible goal as Taylor had whistled before the ball crossed the line.
Gunners players and fans were furious at the decision not to allow the game to continue.
Player of the match Bukayo Saka scored a record goal However, on Sunday, Virgil van Dijk, Mikel Merino and Mohamed Salah also scored.