Gareth Southgate's Shocking U-turn: VAR Under Fire as England Boss Rejects Referees' Decisions

England manager Gareth Southgate has voiced his disdain for VAR, expressing a preference for accepting the decisions made by on-pitch referees. The use of VAR has faced significant scrutiny following the failure to overturn the ruling that disallowed Liverpool's goal against Tottenham on Saturday, even though it was proven that Luis Diaz was onside.

VAR Darren England and assistant Dan Cook's error resulted in a significant controversy. PGMOL issued an apology to Liverpool, and Jurgen Klopp expressed the desire for the game to be replayed. However, We News has learned that this outcome is highly improbable. During a press conference on Thursday, Southgate was questioned about his opinion on the matter. He stated that he had never supported the implementation of technology and cited the questionable offside decision that disallowed Jesse Lingard's goal during England's loss to the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League semi-final in 2019, which further solidified his doubts.

"He stated that although I claimed to be at the forefront, I did not support the cause. As for my initial encounter, there is still uncertainty regarding the validity of the Jesse Lingard goal that eliminated us from the semi-final."

I'm not a fan of it. My belief is that we should simply embrace the decisions made by referees. However, I am aware that it is highly unlikely for us to revert to a time where technology doesn't play a role in the decision-making process.

It was never intended to completely solve all problems, and I don't believe there is a solution out there that can accomplish that.

Southgate's squad for England's upcoming internationals against Italy and Australia was announced, consisting of a 26-man group. Notably, Bukayo Saka was included despite his apparent injury, while Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen earned impressive recalls.

Klopp calls for Spurs-Liverpool replay

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has demanded a replay of the Liverpool vs Tottenham match due to the faulty VAR decision that disallowed Luis Diaz's goal for being offside.

None of the individuals involved - the on-field referee, linesman, fourth official, and particularly in this instance the VAR - had any intention of committing an error. It was a glaring mistake, and I believe there could have been subsequent resolutions for it.

Certain individuals may not appreciate my perspective, but not solely as the manager of Liverpool, but also as a football enthusiast, the only appropriate course of action should be a rematch. It is highly unlikely, however, that this will materialize.

Klopp stated that if a replay were allowed, there would likely be concerns about setting a precedent for future requests. He pointed out that in his 56 years of life, he has grown accustomed to incorrect and challenging decisions, but he cannot recall a situation like this ever occurring before. Therefore, he believes that a replay would be the appropriate solution. Alternatively, the referee could mediate by apologizing for the error and suggesting that Liverpool be granted a goal to level the playing field.

Ref Watch: One question would have prevented terrible mistake

Commenting on the incident discussed in Ref Watch on We News, Dermot Gallagher, a former Premier League referee, stated that making such a mistake was highly regrettable. It has been widely accepted by everyone involved and has become the most significant topic of discussion not only for this weekend but for the entire season.

The focus now is on the process, and one of the steps in this process is for the VAR to inquire of the referee, "what is the on-field decision?"

If this crucial question had been asked and the response was "offside" from Simon Hooper, we would have a clear starting point to proceed. Regrettably, due to the omission of this question, they mistakenly believed that the goal had been awarded on the field, leading to the subsequent unfolding of events.

The next events could have been avoided if a seemingly trivial question had been asked. If I were to ask you, "What was the on-field decision?" You would respond with "offside."

I could then proceed by stating, "I'm verifying for offside." However, he did not actually verify for offside. He was actually confirming whether the player was not offside.