You're right - they must. And individually they are making some woeful decisions, however I'll always advocate that this a result of the much larger problem.
The PGMOL is a closed shop - it's run by ex-referees and there's no accountability. If they continue to make glaring errors, what comes of it? How is it rectified?
There's a glib apology, and that's it most of the time. If it's terrible, the referee may be exiled to VAR or to the Championship for a few weeks, on the same pay.
It's the same with VAR, with a system that has sucked the soul out of the game by micromanaging decisions that don't need managing, with no come back.
Look, the referee can't blame anyone but himself, yet my point is that we have a situation where officiating has become grossly inconsistent and inefficient.
VAR was brought in because TV punditry was making them look like suspect with the multiple camera angles, slow-motion replays and whatnot...
... but they have made a rod for their own back with how they've implemented it. I can accept referees making mistakes in real time, however not with his farce.
Reduce what VAR looks for, let the game run for longer, and take away the micro-scrutiny: show it at full speed, with a maximum of thirty seconds to replay it.
I'll then respect their decisions much more, even if they make decisions I don't agree with or make the occasional error in terms of officiating.
