Inside £1m ‘futuristic’ VAR hub with pool table and MASSAGE AREA as ex-Premier League ref blasts it as ‘holiday camp’
THE ref at the centre of Mikel Arteta’s rant over officials admits Stockley Park’s state-of-the-art facilities mean VARs should be delivering “world-class performances”.
Arsenal boss Arteta has been charged with misconduct over his astonishing attack on ref Stuart Attwell, VAR Andy Madley and his assistant Stuart Burt.
Arteta slammed their refusal to disallow Newcastle’s controversial winner against his team earlier this month as “a disgrace” and “embarrassing”.
Gunners chiefs backed his blast and called for refs’ body PGMOL to “urgently address” the “unacceptable” standards of officiating.
PGMOL’s Key Match Incident Panel have admitted 19 blunders already this season — including a “significant human error” by VARs Darren England and Dan Cook in wrongly ruling out Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool against Tottenham in September.
The embarrassing stats come despite the revolutionary new VAR hub being opened in August.
In a video Attwell concedes: “It’s a fantastic advancement for us.
“It’s put us in a real position to be able to deliver world-class performances in a world-class competition.
“We can turn up here now on a match day knowing full well we’ve got every opportunity to be ready for the game and when the game starts, to make decisions in the best possible environment.”
Fellow elite ref Peter Bankes added: “It’s beyond my wildest dreams in terms of the facilities.
“The hub itself is fantastic, futuristic and very professional to prepare us mentally.”
Costing more than £1million, it boasts 94 top-of-the-range TV screens, noise-cancelling headphones, a debrief room, gym, massage area, lounge, canteen, pool table, video training suite, tactics area and outdoor balcony with sofas.
The gaming chair-style seats are etched with a VAR emblem.
PGMOL hired Populous — the architecture firm behind the stunning Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — as well as Instinct Laboratory and IMG to ensure the Stockley Park hub opened as an elite environment.
And PGMOL chief Howard Webb insisted: “It’s a cutting-edge and bespoke elite performance facility, an environment where the best possible outcomes can be achieved to benefit the game.
“It’s the perfect space for our officials to work.
“Good officiating always starts on the field of play — but VAR plays its part to ensure outcomes of games are not decided by clear and obvious errors.”
Yet Arteta is one of a number of managers who have criticised Prem officials this season.
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil claimed his side have been robbed of SIX points due to VAR blunders.
Manchester United chief Erik ten Hag has also been critical, while Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi revealed he does not like “80 per cent” of refs in England.
And West Ham manager David Moyes claimed some bosses are scared to speak out for fear of being fined, but declared: “We’ve all been disappointed with some of the officiating this season.”
Each game is monitored by one VAR, an assistant (AVAR) and a replay operator. Mobile phones must be left at reception.
PGMOL believe the hub will deliver long-term benefits and VAR has led to more correct calls since it began five years ago.
David Land, managing director of Populous, said: “We collaborated closely with Instinct Laboratory and IMG to create a bespoke facility.
It is designed to help VAR officials perform to their optimum level.”
David Clarke, head of performance at Instinct Laboratory, said the hub is “the environment officials deserve”.
While their website claims: “We are ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding human performance.
“Performance is all about getting the very best out of those operating in high-pressure situations. This could be anything from elite athletes to surgeons in the operating theatre.
“It’s vital these key decision-makers can be the best possible versions of themselves.”