Audio of the VAR discussion that led to a Luis Díaz goal being incorrectly ruled out for offside is set to be released once PGMOL has completed its internal review and communicated the results to Liverpool.
Díaz thought he had given Liverpool the lead in the 34th minute of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham in the Premier League, but the flag was raised for offside.
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The VAR Darren England incorrectly assumed that the on-field decision was a “goal” and, although he quickly recognized that Díaz was onside, he told the referee “review complete” – which the team on the field incorrectly said announced that the offside marking was correct.
A statement from the referees panel after the game said: “PGMOL recognizes that a significant human error occurred in Tottenham Hotspur’s first half against Liverpool.”
“Luiz Díaz’s goal was disallowed for offside by the team of match officials on the pitch. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however VAR did not intervene. “PGMOL.” will conduct a comprehensive review of the circumstances that led to the error.”
PGMOL announced on Sunday that England and their VAR assistant Dan Cook had been replaced for their subsequent games – Nottingham Forest v Brentford on Sunday and the Fulham v Chelsea game on Monday – in the wake of the controversy and the pair will have no involvement in those Play this weekend. The Liverpool game’s field referee, Simon Hooper, and fourth official, Michael Oliver, were both selected for weekend duty.
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PGMOL had been keen to release the footage since the weekend, despite Liverpool’s request on Monday to share it. It’s a question of when, not if, it will be published.
The review with all those involved and stakeholders is ongoing and must first be completed. Any results will first be discussed with Liverpool, who are furious at the decision and the refereeing of the game.
Liverpool released a strongly worded statement on Sunday evening saying their “sporting integrity” had been called into question. The club has also appealed against Curtis Jones’ red card in the game, which also came about as a result of VAR intervention.
The next edition of Match Officials Mic’d Up, the TV show starring referee boss Howard Webb and hosted by former Liverpool striker Michael Owen, is due to air next week, but PGMOL will attempt to release the audio of the most controversial VAR incident that the Premier League had experienced up to that point.