Almost 72 hours after Liverpool’s controversial defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, the fallout continues.
A review is currently underway into the errors that led to Luis Diaz’s goal being disallowed for offside. VAR Darren England and VAR assistant Dan Cook, who were unable to reverse the on-field decision after replays showed the Colombian was offside, were not included in the list of officials for the next round of Premier League games.
Referees’ association PGMOL has sent Liverpool the audio recording of Sunday’s exchange between referee Simon Hooper and those in the VAR room at Stockley Park, which the club will now review.
In a strongly worded statement on Sunday, Liverpool argued that sporting integrity had been “undermined” and said it would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”.
But what did Liverpool hope to achieve with this statement and what solution would satisfy them? The Athletic has contacted a number of senior figures at the club – who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their positions – to get a clearer idea of the answers to these questions.
Do you want a repeat?
No. Liverpool fully accepts the outcome of Saturday’s game. They lost 2-1 after a Joel Matip own goal late into stoppage time after being reduced to nine players due to red cards for Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota. That won’t change. Despite all the excitement on social media, there has been no demand for a replay of the game and there will be none.
So what do they want?
Liverpool wants a transparent investigation into the procedural failings so that lessons can be learned for the future.
Their immediate priority is to determine what the review will look like, who will oversee it and what role the Premier League will play in it. The audio is intended to provide a clearer understanding of how and why Diaz’s goal was disallowed.
They want to know why the decision was made so quickly and why no action was taken when the mix-up quickly became clear.
Is her anger directed at Darren England?
No. In their statement, Liverpool tried to take the focus away from the VAR itself and they were unhappy with PGMOL blaming “significant human error”.
Liverpool insist their focus is on the process and not the individual. Due to a failure of the VAR protocols, the laws of the game were not applied and the correct result could not be achieved.
Liverpool insist it would be extremely unfair to simply shift the blame to England, who mistakenly believed the goal had been scored on the pitch and Hooper said “check complete” after drawing the lines and confirming Diaz was on the page was.
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What about referee travel to the UAE?
England, Cook and Saturday’s fourth official, Michael Oliver, were all in action just 48 hours before Liverpool’s game against Tottenham in the United Arab Emirates.
Liverpool believe workloads ahead of Saturday’s game should be reviewed as part of the review amid concerns about the impact of fatigue on officials due to the long journey and whether this is affecting their preparation.
The trio only returned to London on Friday after an eight-hour flight to Sharjah’s game against Al-Ain, a lucrative trip approved by the football association.
Michael Oliver traveled to the United Arab Emirates last week (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
It is common for English referees to officiate UEFA competitions during the week and then be deployed again in the Premier League the following weekend, but this was even further away.
There is also a potential conflict of interest when referees work freelance in countries with close links to Premier League clubs – Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour is vice-president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, although City insist they are not are nationals. obsessed.
But Liverpool’s focus is on the impact of so much travel so close to Saturday’s game and whether it affects their judgement.
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Does Liverpool’s frustration stem from previous conflicts with officials?
Liverpool insist their reaction was solely due to Saturday’s incident and they had nothing else brought into the matter.
There was “full coordination” behind the scenes when it came to drafting and submitting Sunday’s statement. Jürgen Klopp and the owners agreed that the club had to take a stand given the unprecedented situation. PGMOL boss Howard Webb has contacted senior figures in Liverpool since Saturday to apologize for the mistakes they made.
What about all the other teams that have suffered from VAR errors?
Liverpool insist it’s not just about them. They don’t ask for special treatment. They believe that a fully transparent review that leads to improvements in the VAR process will benefit all clubs and help prevent a similar situation from happening again.
(Top photos: Getty Images)