To Whom It May Concern,

We are writing to formally request that the [FIFA/Court of Arbitration for Sport/The Football Association/The Premier League Governing Body] conduct a comprehensive and independent investigation into the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the English Premier League (EPL) due to numerous and ongoing concerns regarding its misuse, abuse, or disuse by match officials, which may be connected to illicit betting activities.

Background:

The VAR system was introduced with the intent to aid on-field referees in making correct and fair decisions on critical match incidents. However, since its implementation, there have been persistent controversies surrounding its application, leading to a weekly occurrence of disputes among teams, fans, and sports analysts. These incidents not only disrupt the spirit of the game but also raise serious questions about the integrity of the officiating process.

Statement of Concern:

Several patterns have emerged indicating potential misconduct by referees in the use of VAR, including but not limited to:

1. Inconsistent application of the rules across different matches.
2. Unjustifiable delays and lack of transparency in the decision-making process.
3. Decisions that significantly alter the outcomes of matches in ways that align suspiciously with betting odds. 

These patterns suggest a deviation from the expected standard of officiating and have led to widespread speculation and mistrust among stakeholders.

Impact on Stakeholders:

The integrity of English football is of paramount importance to players, clubs, fans, and sponsors alike. The current state of affairs undermines the trust in fair play and may potentially tarnish the reputation of the EPL on the international stage, leading to a decline in global viewership and loss of revenue.

Request for Action:

Given the gravity of these concerns, we, the undersigned, urge [FIFA/the CAS/The FA/The Premier League Governing Body] to:

• Initiate an independent investigation into the application and management of VAR by EPL referees.
• Scrutinize the decision-making process and communication between VAR officials and on-field referees.
• Examine the relationship between controversial VAR decisions and betting patterns to rule out any form of misconduct.

Supporting Evidence:

The following are multiple instances of documented egregious abuse, disuse, and misuse by EPL referees and VAR officials in EPL games, prompting the issuance of this petition:

• Wolves Penalty Appeal Against Man Utd: In a match where Wolves' forward Sasa Kalajdzic was wiped out by Man Utd’s Andre Onana, who made no contact with the ball, the on-field referee did not award a penalty. After VAR check, the decision was not even recommended for review by VAR, which led to PGMOL apologizing for the oversight​​.
• Nathan Ake's Goal for Man City: Nathan Ake scored a goal for Manchester City against Fulham, where VAR upheld the on-field decision despite Manuel Akanji being in an offside position and seemingly impacting Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno's ability to save the goal. Howard Webb later stated that the goal should not have counted​
• Alexis Mac Allister's Red Card for Brighton: Alexis Mac Allister received a red card for a challenge on Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie. Although the challenge was acknowledged, there were questions regarding the level of force used, which under the laws, should not have warranted a red card according to some analyses​
• John Egan's Handball for Sheffield United: Sheffield United’s John Egan was penalized for a handball against Manchester City. While the law indicates that a penalty should be awarded if a player has their arm above shoulder height, this decision highlighted issues with VAR's inconsistency and provoked discussion about the interpretation of the handball rule​

Apologies

• Brighton & Hove Albion received apologies for several wrong decisions against them, including an incident where VAR ruled wrongly in a match against Tottenham Hotspur, which should have seen Brighton awarded a penalty
• Manchester United also received an apology for a missed penalty call in a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers
• Liverpool was issued an apology for a high-profile mistake when Luis Diaz's onside goal against Tottenham was incorrectly ruled out​​.

These incidents reflect a broader concern about the application of VAR and the consistency of decisions being made by referees in the EPL.

On a more specific dimension of VAR abuse, disuse, and misuse, matches involving Arsenal FC have generated a pattern of consistent misconduct by officials involved in certain Arsenal games. This consistency bears a worrying gravity that has alarmed both Arsenal fans and fans of EPL football generally. It is a pattern that attracts the need for special scrutiny of match officials in the form of an investigation into the possibilities of VAR-facilitated match fixing.

• Arsenal vs Brentford: A critical error occurred when VAR official Lee Mason did not draw offside lines, leading to a goal by Brentford's Ivan Toney that should have been disallowed for offside, affecting Arsenal's points in the title race​​.
• Arsenal vs Newcastle: Arsenal felt they should have been awarded a penalty for a handball by Jacob Murphy, which was not given​
• Southampton vs Arsenal: The Gunners believed a penalty should have been awarded for a foul on Gabriel Jesus by Duje Caleta-Car, which was not called​
• Man United vs Arsenal: A goal by Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli was disallowed for a soft foul on Christian Eriksen, which was a pivotal moment in their loss​
• Chelsea vs Arsenal: Cole Palmer's unwarranted attack on Gabriel Jesus heels (a potentially season-ending foul) was neither adjudged by the on-field referee as a foul nor reviewed by VAR in spite of multiple replays proving otherwise

The Last Straw

During the Newcastle vs. Arsenal match on November 4, 2023, Arsenal suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season with a score of 1-0. The only goal of the match, scored by Anthony Gordon, became a point of contention after a lengthy VAR review that took over four minutes. The review checked if the ball had gone out of bounds, for any fouls in the buildup, and for an offside position. Against all conventional wisdom, defying logic and disrespecting the collective intelligence of all and sundry, and in blatant disregard for the long-established rules of the game, the VAR review failed to correctly adjudicate the events leading to the non-goal and to rule it as such. Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decision to allow the goal, describing it as an embarrassment and a disgrace for the Premier League​​. He is joined in this truth by sports journalists, pundits, ex-EPL-officials, and fans of the beautiful game of football all over the world.

The decision was a blemish on the game and will forever live in infamy.

Conclusion:

We believe that an immediate investigation is critical to restore the faith in the EPL's commitment to fairness and integrity. It is imperative that we uphold the highest standards in sportsmanship and ensure that the sport remains untainted by any form of corruption.

We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter and look forward to your prompt action.

Sincerely,

Vigilants for Sport Truth