Critical inquiry into Liverpool's disallowed goal could have averted catastrophic blunder

Dermot Gallagher, a former Premier League referee, asserts that the match officials were unable to reverse their decision to cancel Luis Diaz's goal for Liverpool at Tottenham, which was disallowed in error, once the game recommenced. The audio that caused VAR to erroneously annul Luis Diaz's goal has now been made available to the public by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

Darren England and his assistant Daniel Cook decided not to overturn the incorrect offside call, even after Diaz scored at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, PGMOL expressed their disappointment with the "below-par performance" and outlined three important lessons to prevent similar errors in the future.

Former referee Gallagher stated that the mistake made was a grave one. It has been recognized and accepted by everyone involved. This incident has become the main subject of discussion, not only for this weekend but for the entire season.

Moving forward, one of the necessary steps in the process is for the VAR to inquire about the referee's decision on the field.

Do we need to change the laws of the game?

It would be more convenient to establish a process that everyone agrees upon and can effectively contribute to.

Such a seemingly insignificant inquiry could have prevented the subsequent events. If I were to ask you, "What was the on-field decision?" You would inform me that it was offside.

"I could then look and say, 'I'm checking for offside'. He didn't check for offside. What he was checking was if the player was not offside.

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VAR drew the lines on the incident and VAR said "check complete" thinking the on-field decision was a goal

"That is how the events transpired."

On Sunday, Liverpool announced their intention to investigate alternative courses of action in light of the evident requirement for further action and resolution. PGMOL has submitted a comprehensive report along with the audio evidence to the Premier League, who have subsequently distributed it to Liverpool and the remaining 19 clubs in the top tier.

PGMOL will prioritize accuracy over efficiency when instructing its video match officials. Additionally, a new VAR communication protocol will be created to improve the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team regarding on-field decisions. However, should we continue to listen to the audio of the fourth official?

"At present, there are limitations," Gallagher continued. "We are unable to disclose everything publicly. It is impressive that they have been open and acknowledged their error.

"It has been swiftly confessed, and now everyone is aware of the situation."

Although you may not be pleased with the outcome, it is now possible for you to comprehend the reasons behind it. They have gained an insight into the cause of that error.

This is favorable because once you grasp the rationale behind a mistake, you can prevent it from occurring in the future.

"The learning point is that this must never, ever happen again."

But once they realised a mistake was made, did they make the right decision in not stopping the game?

"Unfortunately," Gallagher added, "there is no option for him to reverse his decision once it's made and the game resumes. He must continue forward."

"This is the realization that Darren England has come to. He must accept that he cannot undo his decision, as it is in accordance with the rules of the game. Referees are obligated to adhere to these rules."

"We are incredibly harsh on ourselves, often being our own harshest critics. Personally, when I hear that I've made a mistake after a game and I'm on my way home, it feels like my whole world shrinks.

All I want is to reach home, forget about it, and move on. I eagerly look forward to my next match, hoping it will help me put this regret behind me."

Analysis: Why were the officials in such a rush?

We News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

"Pep Guardiola said earlier today that he felt that referees had taken centre stage too much and that people are talking about them too much.

Referees prefer to work behind the scenes, focusing on their duties. They acknowledge that their effectiveness is proven when their role goes unnoticed.

However, the increasing presence of technology has intensified the examination they face. Having listened to the audio, I ponder why they felt compelled to make such a hasty judgment.

"They are facing immense pressure to make swift decisions. Initially, when VAR was introduced, there was widespread criticism about the prolonged decision-making time.

"Even spectators in stadiums were left unaware of the proceedings, prompting authorities to expedite the decision-making process."

"But upon listening to the audio, it becomes evident that engaging in any activity at such a rapid pace, with a multitude of individuals observing and relying on your judgment, inevitably leads to errors.

"

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The VAR said he could not intervene after the mistake as the game had restarted

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"The message conveyed at the conclusion of the video is crucial as it highlights that there will be alterations in the protocols and we will gain valuable insights from this incident.

"While many individuals have heavily criticized the officials, it should be emphasized that Liverpool, as a club, has not criticized them. They do not desire for the match to be played again."

"They're not blaming Darren England, they've not blaming PGMOL, what they have asked for is that the process and the protocols are improved so mistakes such as this don't happen again."