Premier League referees have had another tough season but the unpopular truth is that the standard is nothing like as bad as social media would have you believe.Just like any other, the season has been sprinkled with shockers on the field and howlers in the VAR chair, but most of the confected rage is driven by still frames and slow-motion clips of decisions that could have gone either way or were definitively correct.Fans are convinced that the officials in whichever league they follow are the worst on the planet, or that there is a conspiracy against their club. It makes me wonder why they are still paying to watch if they think everything’s fixed.My positive spin should not mask the reality that I know there is work to do, mostly in relation to the on-field decision-making process. All media – professional and social – has become obsessed with VAR, but the issues that most urgently need addressing are on the pitch.An assumption has taken hold that referees have stopped making decisions and become reliant on the safety net of VAR. Based on my own experience and knowing the 20 officials involved well, I remain to be convinced.There is an element of truth to the assertion, because referees would much rather upgrade a caution to a dismissal than the reverse. It’s not ideal to award a penalty and then find yourself dropping the ball to the goalkeeper, or to send off a player only to wave them back on, but examples of referees ‘bottling it’ are rare.There is little doubt, however, that corners have become a free-for-all and tackles that would have resulted in red cards five years ago are now routinely downgraded to yellows.The referees and assistants meet weekly and discuss all the major talking points from the previous match round. The conversation is influenced heavily by the views of ex-players expressed anonymously through the Premier League’s key match incident (KMI) panel.Its findings are not particularly meaningful, as some of its adjudications are mystifying in both directions, but it’s the only data there is. As of match day 36, refs had got 86 per cent of decisions correct, which is down from 87.2 per cent across the whole of 2024-25 but up slightly on the previous year. VAR errors are up from 18 to 23 at the same stage of last season, almost all for failing to intervene.Behind the figures lies a more nuanced story. Over the past few seasons, the panel has endorsed referees’ calls that make corners look like scrummages – which, in turn, makes them impossible to police – and dangerous tackles that are excused for nebulous reasons, such as ‘lacking intensity’ or insufficient contact.Grappling at corners has become commonplace (Michael Regan/Getty Images)Like fans, I am weary of the tiresome farce that corners, long throws and other set pieces have become. The Premier League promised action and told referees to crack down – the third such initiative in 10 seasons.