Liverpool’s disallowed goal against Manchester City has caused a split in the Premier League’s KMI board

The KMI panel, which includes three former players and one representative each from the Premier League and PGMO, voted 3-2 that the assistant should not have called offside, and also voted 3-2 that VAR was right not to intervene.

This decision shows the highly subjective nature of the decision which Chairman of Referees Howard Webb described as “unreasonable”.

The KMI panel ruling revealed that the majority of panel members “felt that because Robertson was not in the goalkeeper’s line of sight at the time of the header, and his subsequent actions did not clearly impact Donnarumma’s attempt to save the ball, the goal should have been awarded.”

However, while two of the five panelists “felt that this was a clear and obvious foul”, one panel member felt that “the movement in front of the goalkeeper meant that this was not a clear and obvious foul, and the VAR was right not to intervene”.

“This resulted in a split and correct score after the VAR (3:2). The other two panelists felt that Robertson’s apparent action in front of the goalkeeper had an impact on Donnarumma’s attempted save, and they supported the decision to be offside on the pitch.”

The KMI panel makes two separate rulings, taking into account the laws and expectations of how a match is officiated in the Premier League.

A field call is a direct vote on the decision, with VAR potentially intervening for a clear and obvious foul. This means that the KMI panel can vote, as was the case for that disallowed goal, that it would have been better if the call on the pitch had been different but also justified, so VAR should not have intervened.