Michael Owen lashes out after criticism of Mic’d Up VAR show with Howard Webb
Is it time to rethink VAR in the Premier League? | Football Digest
Michael Owen has lashed out after facing criticism for his Match Officials Mic’d Up show with Howard Webb on Tuesday night. Owen and Webb were in the studio to discuss a number of controversial VAR incidents that have occurred in recent Premier League matches.
Owen presented the 25-minute show alongside PGMOL boss Webb, with the duo immediately turning their attention to Anthony Gordon’s goal during Newcastle’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal. They then analysed Cristian Romero’s sending-off when Tottenham were thumped 4-1 by Chelsea and Scott McTominay’s goal against Fulham that was chalked off for offside.
After the programme, which is simultaneously broadcast on Sky Sports and TNT Sports, the Daily Mail published an article saying Premier League fans had “slammed” the show and that Owen had been “panned for not challenging the former ref”.
But Owen hit back on X (formerly Twitter) as he took aim at the newspaper. “You’re just scumbags”, he wrote. “Always have been. Trawl through a load of messages until you find a couple of negative ones and then create an article. Most people thought the show was insightful and educational. Which is our aim.”
Don’t miss… Four Liverpool stars free to talk to clubs in January about moving for nothing
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Owen was clearly angry at being called out but there were plenty of fans who weren’t happy with how the former striker had handled his discussion with Webb.
“Mic’d Up is nothing more than a self-congratulatory back patting exercise for Howard Webb in its current format”, wrote @MBEdits7 on X. And @komdean added: “Can we get a someone who is willing to actually question Howard Webb to do the show instead of a puppet like Michael Owen?”
Don’t miss…
Man Utd takeover – Unknown American billionaire investor gains late stake[TAKEOVER]
Man Utd ‘could help’ Prem rivals sign ex-Chelsea star by sending Sancho to Juve[DETAILS]
Man Utd ‘conceding defeat’ over Andre Onana but all is not lost for Erik ten Hag[INSIGHT]
Meanwhile, @Cotto34 penned: “Your aim is to act as a mouthpiece for PGMOL to justify an absurdly incorrect decision.” And @WelBeast replied directly to Owen as he wrote: “You’re just there as a flower girl to Howard Webb, you don’t challenge him in any way, you don’t seek any clarity. What criteria do you use to pick which VAR decisions to air and which ones to not? Useless.”
Newcastle’s winning goal against the Gunners was allowed to stand after VAR checked three separate incidents and decided the ball hadn’t gone out of play in the lead-up to the strike, Joelinton hadn’t pushed Gabriel in the back and Gordon wasn’t standing in an offside position when he turned the ball in. And Webb has maintained the decision was the correct one.
Source: Read Full Article