Vincent Kompany discusses Darren England's return for Brentford v Burnley game following VAR controversy

Vincent Kompany has no concerns whatsoever about Darren England being on fourth official duty for Burnley’s game against Brentford.
Matt Scrafton
By Matt Scrafton
Published 21st Oct 2023, 08:00 GMT
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The official returns to action this afternoon for the first time since being taken off duty for his involvement in the VAR controversy in the Tottenham v Liverpool game on September 30.

After being stood down, the Premier League has now confirmed England will return to work on Saturday as fourth official at the Gtech Community Stadium.

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Josh Smith will referee the fixture, with Harry Leonard and Nick Hopton on linesmen duty. Stuart Attwell is in control of VAR, where he will be assisted by Mark Scholes.

When asked if he has any concerns about England being involved in a Burnley game, Kompany said: “No, other than mistakes are human. There is nothing else I can say.

“I put my position forward at that time. I like the fact there is transparency and that people come forward and own the mistakes. We get access to the footage and there is transparency, which for me is important.

“There might be a trend here where we do get the young referees that need to learn the Premier League games or the guys who are just coming back and easing their way back in again, but I’m sure with time and better results that can change.

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 02: Referee Darren England during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on September 02, 2023 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)BURNLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 02: Referee Darren England during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on September 02, 2023 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 02: Referee Darren England during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on September 02, 2023 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

“But for him personally, we all make mistakes.”

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Last month’s incident at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium caused huge controversy with the PGMOL forced to release audio from the VAR hub which showed the officials realising they had made the wrong call once the match had resumed.

Despite calls for the game to be stopped, referees’ chief Howard Webb insists the correct protocol was followed.

"They considered whether they could intervene to stop the game but they recognised that the laws of the game, set by FIFA and the IFAB, doesn’t allow that.

"There’s obviously a process in place that sits in the laws of the game about how we use VAR to make sure it is delivered consistently throughout every league in the world. And it doesn’t allow you to go back in those circumstances. As such they decided not to intervene."

Related topics:VARBrentfordBurnleyEnglandPremier LeagueTottenham