 Lee Mason, the referee who was sacked after making a horrific blunder in an Arsenal match last season, has been reinstated by the PGMOL. Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis Sign up Privacy Policy As reported by the Daily Mail, Mason has been rehired by the referees' body to help train up new officials. It is said that he will work with officials at Premier League, EFL and Women's Super League level but will 'operate specifically on Leagues One and Two'. Mason had worked as a Premier League referee from 2007 to 2022, overseeing 287 top-flight matches during that time, before becoming a full-time VAR official. But in his new role, the 51-year-old will not be working on the VAR side of things, which will come as a relief to many after he made two high-profile errors at Stockley Park last season. Firstly, he incorrectly disallowed a goal for Newcastle United in their 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace in September, after which he was dropped from his duties for following gameweek. Discussing the incident at the time, Magpies legend Alan Shearer said: 'It's shocking, abysmal, disgraceful – whatever word you want to use. Mason failed to disallow Ivan Toney's equaliser against Arsenal in February (Photo: Getty) 'The referee Michael Salisbury actually gets it right he gives the goal. It's Lee Mason and the VAR who somehow bizarrely tell him, 'you've made a howler'. 'As I keep saying, VAR is not the problem the people running it are.' But it was Mason's failure to disallow Brentford's equaliser against Arsenal for a clear offside in their 1-1 draw back in February that got him the sack. The incident was notorious as the Gunners were top of the table at the time and ultimately it could have cost them dear in the title race, with Mason departing the PGMOL by 'mutual consent' just over a week later. 'In the build-up to the goal, Christian Norgaard — whose cross it is that [Ivan] Toney heads in — is in an off){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Lee Mason, the referee who was sacked after making a horrific blunder in an Arsenal match last season, has been reinstated by the PGMOL.
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
As reported by the Daily Mail, Mason has been rehired by the referees’ body to help train up new officials.
It is said that he will work with officials at Premier League, EFL and Women’s Super League level but will ‘operate specifically on Leagues One and Two’.