“Human error”, VAR audio revealed: the incredible story of Liverpool’s disallowed goal against Tottenham

2023-10-04 12:45:33

The controversy relating to the refereeing of Saturday’s Tottenham – Liverpool match (2-1) continues to make waves in England. The Association of Professional English Football Referees (PGMOL) has admitted a “significant human error” which deprived Liverpool of a goal in their defeat at Tottenham, a decision which “changed the course of the match”, according to the Reds coach Jürgen Klopp.

Liverpool, ten against eleven, scored in the 34th minute by Luis Diaz, but his goal was invalidated for an offside signaled by the referee and his assistants. After which, Tottenham opened the scoring two minutes later. “The PGMOL recognizes a significant human error” by the refereeing team on the field, she said after the game, concerning the Liverpool goal. This was a clear and obvious factual error which should have resulted in the goal being awarded through the intervention of the VAR, but it did not intervene. When the action started, Luis Diaz was indeed perfectly in the game.

After transmitting it to Liverpool, the PGMOL released the VAR audio on Tuesday which highlights the malfunctions leading to the error. From the extracts from the conversations between the referees, we understand that the VAR makes the right decision, that of signaling that the attack is “in play” and awarding the goal, which seems to satisfy the referee who thinks that his initial decision is maintained and therefore chooses to restart the game. In reality, he had refused the goal for offside.

There followed total confusion between the referees. The one in the truck, who manages the VAR, points out the error several times while the game has resumed. “Are you sure of the decision you made?” » he says to the central referee. Once he realizes his fault, the match referee explains, disillusioned, that he can no longer do anything. Once the course of the game has resumed, it is in fact impossible to go back according to the laws of the game and the use of video assistance.

The discussions between the VAR and the field referees during the Tottenham – Liverpool match have been made public ????

The least we can say is that the confusion is palpable ???? pic.twitter.com/hwjudnvoEL

— VOOsport (@VOOsport) October 4, 2023

“We recognize it, the goal should have been validated thanks to the intervention of the VAR,” indicates the PGMOL. Due to a lack of concentration, the VAR lost sight of the decision on the pitch and communicated poorly. »Indeed, it appears that the VAR referees, once they realized their error, wondered if it was possible to stop the match to reverse their decision. On the audio, we can clearly hear them resigning themselves to leaving the situation as it is, the game having resumed. “I can’t do anything,” repeats the VAR, at the heart of criticism ever since.

On Monday, the Times reported that video referee Darren England and his assistant Dan Cook, guilty of the refereeing error, had officiated in the United Arab Emirates championship two days earlier. There is talk of an Emirati championship match between Sharjah and Al-Ain on Thursday. In fact, they appear respectively as VAR and assistant referee on the match sheet visible on the UAE Pro League website.

Darren England and Dan Cook, video assistance attendants, were sidelined for the remainder of the 7th day of the Premier League in the face of the controversy, much commented on in the British press and on television sets. On Sunday, Liverpool said they wanted to “explore the range of options available” in an offensive statement. “It is clear that the laws of the game have not been applied correctly, which has undermined sporting integrity,” the club from the northwest of England wrote.

“Talking about exploring all options (what does that mean!!!) and sporting integrity are dangerous phrases, in addition to being vague and aggressive,” tackled former footballer Gary Neville , who became an influential television consultant. “I have never seen a match like this with the most unfair circumstances, the craziest decisions,” protested Klopp, the Liverpool coach.