Lee Mason will no longer act as VAR in the Premier League after it was confirmed on Friday that he had left his post by mutual consent.
Mason had been responsible for the failure to disallow Brentford‘s goal at Arsenal, with Christian Norgaard offside before creating the equaliser for Ivan Toney.
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“PGMOL can confirm that Video Assistant Referee Lee Mason has departed the organisation by mutual consent,” read a statement from Professional Game Match Officials Limited, the body responsible for match officials across English football.
“Lee was a Premier League referee for 15 years and oversaw 287 top-flight matches during that time, with his last coming during the closing stages of the 2021/22 season.
“His full career in the professional game saw the 51-year-old officiate in over 500 fixtures after he progressed to the Football League in 1998. We would like to thank Lee for his dedicated service to the professional game and wish him all the best for the future.”
Mason had been responsible for six VAR errors this season, including the decision that led to Arsenal’s opening goal at Manchester United in September being disallowed
The latest mistake, when Mason missed a possibly offside decision against a player who created a crucial equalising goal, proved to be the final straw.