Audio of the VAR discussion that led to Luis Diaz’s goal being incorrectly disallowed for offside is set to be released once PGMOL has completed its internal review and shared the results with Liverpool.
Diaz thought he had put Liverpool ahead in the 34th minute of the match that the team lost to Tottenham 2-1 on Saturday in the English Premier League, but the flag was raised for offside.
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Darren England incorrectly thought the on-field decision was a ‘goal’, and while he quickly determined Diaz was offside and told the referee ‘check completed’ – which mistakenly told the on-field team that the offside flag was correct.
A statement issued by the referees after the match said: “PGMOL acknowledges that significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Liverpool.
“Luis Diaz’s goal was disallowed for offside by the match officials team. This was a clear factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, VAR failed to intervene. PGMOL will conduct a full review of the circumstances that led to the error “
PGMOL announced on Sunday that England and VAR assistant Dan Cook have been substituted for their next two matches – Nottingham Forest v Brentford on Sunday and Fulham v Chelsea on Monday – following the controversy, and the pair will not be involved in this weekend’s fixtures. The on-field referee for the Liverpool match, Simon Hooper, and the fourth official, Michael Oliver, have been selected for weekend duties.
– VAR review: What went wrong with Luis Diaz’s offside goal
– The most violent moments of the VAR: Diaz offside, two red cards for Alisson
PGMOL has been keen to publish the footage since the weekend, regardless of Liverpool’s request on Monday that it be shared. It’s a matter of when, not if, it goes public.
The review is ongoing with all participants and stakeholders and must be completed first. Any results will be discussed first with Liverpool, who are angered by the decision and refereeing of the match.
Liverpool issued a strongly worded statement on Sunday evening, stating that “sporting integrity” had been called into question. The club also appealed the red card given to Curtis Jones in the match, which also came about through VAR intervention.
The next edition of Match Officials Mic’d Up, the TV show featuring chief referee Howard Webb and presented by former Liverpool striker Michael Owen, is due to be broadcast next week, but PGMOL will look to release the audio for the more controversial VAR system. An incident witnessed in the English Premier League before then.
