Former Premier League referee Graham Scott has said that substitutes' boards are 'not fit for purpose' after Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola was left furious during his side's 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
Iraola suggested that the fourth official was taking too long to get the boards ready as he attempted to make a triple substitution just before Forest's second goal.
Iraola's frustration
Speaking after the match, Iraola said: "Yes, I cannot explain because I don't have explanation. I wanted to make those three subs like three minutes before. And there have been two, three or four times I think the ball has gone out and I still don't know the reason why we haven't made the subs. I think definitely he was having some problems with the board or something."
He added: "[It] would have happened, definitely. You stop [the game] because you want to sub [but] it doesn't happen. The quick throw-in, because we are waiting for the subs, so if I ask for the sub, and I already asked and I complained even the previous time that the ball went out and everyone was - even the supporters, I think they were shouting - aware of the situation, but I don't know the reason why they haven't done it. And the penalty, I leave you to decide if it's a penalty or not."
Scott's response
Graham Scott has now issued his thoughts on the incident and claimed that the technology is outdated, albeit Iraola's own complaints might have been exaggerated. Taking to X, he wrote: "The subs boards are not fit for purpose. Each number has to be entered manually, and they only count up one at a time. Entering number 38 on its own could take several seconds and there are six numbers to plug in here."
He continued: "Also, the sponsors' advertising makes them heavy and unwieldy, which is why the 4th has them on the ground. In UEFA comps the clubs have to enter the numbers themselves, which means they can get the subs done quicker. The PL only did this during Covid. The 4th official would have had to check and double check the names and numbers of all six players involved in the substitutions against the official team sheet in case the club has made an error, which happens frequently enough to make such checks necessary."
After a fan suggested it should not take three minutes to make a substitution, Scott replied: "It shouldn't take three minutes, agreed. But we have no evidence that it did, only Iraola's word for it. I've stood next to him many times and say there's just a chance he's exaggerating for effect and to deflect from his goalkeeper's rash challenge. I could be wrong, obvs."
