Gareth Southgate Reveals Shocking VAR Confessions and His True Feelings on Referees' Decisions

England manager Gareth Southgate has expressed his disdain for VAR, preferring instead to rely on the judgments of on-pitch referees. The controversial technology has faced criticism following the recent incident where a goal by Luis Diaz for Liverpool against Tottenham was incorrectly disallowed, despite conclusive evidence that he was onside.

The VAR decision made by Darren England and assistant Dan Cook resulted in significant consequences, leading to PGMOL apologizing to Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp expressed his desire for the game to be replayed, although it is highly unlikely that this will happen, according to our sources at We News.

During his press conference on Thursday, Southgate was asked about his opinion on the matter. He stated that he had never supported the introduction of technology and that his doubts were confirmed by the controversial offside call that disallowed a goal by Jesse Lingard in England's UEFA Nations League semi-final loss to the Netherlands in 2019.

"When you claim that I was leading the way, I was actually against it," he stated.

"And my initial encounter with it... we are still uncertain whether the Jesse Lingard goal that eliminated us from a semi-final was legitimate or not.

I dislike it. We should simply embrace the decisions made by referees, but I understand that returning to a technology-free world for decision-making is improbable.

It was never intended to solve every problem, and I believe no solution can accomplish that.

Southgate's selection for England's upcoming internationals against Italy and Australia has stirred intrigue, particularly with the inclusion of Bukayo Saka despite his apparent injury. Additionally, the return of Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen adds an extra layer of anticipation to Southgate's 26-man squad.

Klopp calls for Spurs-Liverpool replay

Jurgen Klopp is urging for the Liverpool versus Tottenham match to be replayed due to the failure of VAR in disallowing Luis Diaz's goal for being offside. Klopp emphasized the significance of addressing the issue in a fitting manner, considering the immense importance of football.

The individuals involved, including the on-field referee, linesman, fourth official, and particularly VAR in this instance, did not intentionally commit the error. It was a clear mistake, and I believe there could have been subsequent solutions for it.

Certain individuals may not appreciate my statement, but not just as the manager of Liverpool, but also as a football enthusiast, a replay should be the only possible resolution. That is the reality, although it is unlikely to occur.

"The potential downside of allowing a replay is that it may set a precedent for others to request the same. However, this unique situation has left me, at the age of 56, accustomed to erroneous and challenging decisions. Yet, to my recollection, such a circumstance has never occurred before. Hence, I believe a replay would be the appropriate course of action. Alternatively, the referee could facilitate a resolution by convening both coaches, admitting the error, and proposing a solution. For instance, allowing Liverpool to score a goal and resuming the game from that point."

Ref Watch: One question would have prevented terrible mistake

Commenting on the incident covered in Ref Watch on We News, Dermot Gallagher, a former referee in the Premier League, expressed his perspective: "The error made was incredibly regrettable. Everyone, without exception, has recognized this fact. Undoubtedly, it has become the most extensively discussed topic of the entire season, not just limited to this weekend."

The focus now lies on the process, and one of the key steps is for the VAR to inquire with the referee about the on-field decision. Had this crucial question been posed and [Simon Hooper] responded with "offside," it would have provided a basis to proceed. Regrettably, since this question was not asked, they mistakenly believed that the goal had been awarded on the field, leading to the unfolding of subsequent events.

The next events could have been prevented if I had asked a seemingly insignificant question. If I were to inquire about the on-field decision, you would have confirmed that it was offside.

Then, I would have followed up by stating, "I am confirming the offside ruling." However, instead of checking for offside, he was actually verifying that the player was not offside.