Referee process 'not fit for purpose' as Liverpool pay price for substitution board failure against Forest

Liverpool have received verdicts from two former Premier League referees after a substitution board failure contributed to a controversial 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest at Anfield, with manager Andoni Iraola visibly furious on the touchline during the incident.

The drama centred on a delay with the electronic substitution board that prevented Liverpool from completing a triple change involving Rio Ngumoha, Ryan Gravenberch and Kostas Tsimikas. While the three players were unable to enter the pitch, Forest were awarded a penalty after Neco Williams was fouled by Alisson Becker — a decision that compounded Iraola’s frustration.

Former Premier League referee Graham Scott offered a detailed explanation of why such delays occur. “The subs boards are not fit for purpose,” Scott wrote on X. “Each number has to be entered manually, and they only count up one at a time. Entering No.38 on its own could take several seconds and there are six numbers to plug in here. Also, the sponsors’ advertising makes them heavy and unwieldy.”

Scott added that in UEFA competitions clubs enter the numbers themselves, allowing substitutions to be processed more quickly — a system the Premier League briefly adopted during the Covid period but has since abandoned. He also noted that the fourth official is required to cross-check all six players’ names and numbers against the official team sheet, a precaution made necessary by the frequency of club errors.

Fellow former referee Dermot Gallagher expressed sympathy for Iraola while also pointing out that responsibility for the board’s condition lies partly with the club. “I feel sorry for Iraola, he feels aggrieved about it,” Gallagher said. “But don’t forget, the members of staff put the numbers in the board originally. The boards are retained by the clubs — it’s not the referee who brings it on the day. If the board couldn’t go to No.38, that might have been the first time he ever knew. It was the club official who put the number in.”

Iraola made no secret of his irritation after the final whistle. “I don’t have an explanation. I wanted to make those subs about three minutes before,” the Liverpool manager said, indicating the delay stretched well beyond what he considered acceptable.

The incident has reignited debate about whether the Premier League’s substitution board technology is adequate for the demands of the modern game, with Scott’s assessment suggesting a structural problem that goes beyond any single match.