Liverpool left furious as controversial call denies Luis Diaz a sensational goal against Spurs
Liverpool demand answers from PGMOL after a blatant human error led to Luis Diaz's disallowed goal against Tottenham The VAR team's failure to intervene raises doubts about their competence, while PGMOL faces scrutiny over their recent UAE trip Escalation and resolution are imperative for a fair outcome
Liverpool have expressed their commitment to thoroughly investigate the various available solutions following their assertion that the integrity of sportsmanship was compromised when Luis Diaz's goal against Tottenham was unjustifiably invalidated due to a "significant human error" as described by the PGMOL. The VAR erroneously presumed that the on-field decision had been made to grant the goal, leading to the disallowed outcome.
The Liverpool Football Club statement, released on Sunday evening, acknowledges the admission of failures by PGMOL regarding the events of last night. It is evident that the laws of the game were not applied correctly, leading to a compromise in sporting integrity.
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"We understand and acknowledge the challenges faced by match officials. However, it is expected that the presence and utilization of VAR would ease these pressures instead of making them worse.
Hence, it is disappointing that there was not enough time given to make the correct decision, and there was no subsequent intervention."
It is also unacceptable that these failings have already been classified as "significant human error." The review process should determine all outcomes and should be conducted with complete transparency.
This is crucial for ensuring the reliability of future decision-making, as it pertains to all clubs. The lessons learned should be utilized to enhance processes and prevent the recurrence of such situations.
"In the meantime, we will investigate the various alternatives at our disposal, given the evident necessity for escalation and resolution."
PGMOL: Significant human error occurred
The PGMOL acknowledged immediately after Tottenham's 2-1 victory that "a significant human error occurred" when Diaz's strike was disallowed, further stating: "This was an undeniable and glaring factual mistake, and VAR intervention should have resulted in awarding the goal."The initial belief was that VAR Darren England had neglected to verify if a Tottenham defender had kept Diaz in an onside position by utilizing the on-screen lines. However, in an astonishing turn of events, it was later revealed that the VAR had mistakenly assumed that the on-field decision was to grant a goal, when in reality, no goal had been given.
This resulted in England, despite realising that Diaz was onside, relaying a message of 'check complete' and the goal being ruled out.
Less than 40 seconds had passed from the moment Diaz's shot found the back of the net until play resumed. Likewise, less than 10 seconds elapsed from the time TV viewers were informed about the ongoing VAR review until the check was concluded. The score stood at 0-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Liverpool reduced to 10 players as a result of Curtis Jones' red card.
Liverpool's misfortune continued as Heung-Min Son swiftly netted the opening goal for Spurs just two minutes later. Adding to their woes, an own goal by Joel Matip in injury-time sealed the victory for the home team, concluding the match with a 2-1 win.
In a recent announcement, PGMOL stated that both England and Dan Cook, the assistant VAR for the Tottenham vs Liverpool game, will not be officiating in their upcoming matches.
England was scheduled to be a part of the officiating team at the City Ground on Sunday for Nottingham Forest's match against Brentford. However, Craig Pawson replaced him in this role. Similarly, Cook was originally expected to be involved in Fulham's home game against Chelsea on Monday, which will be broadcasted live on We. Nonetheless, Eddie Smart has taken Cook's place.
PGMOL facing questions over UAE trip
Image:
Howard Webb is the head of referees' body PGMOL
We senior reporter Melissa Reddy:
Referee's body PGMOL is facing increasing questions over the wisdom of allowing England and Cook to have worked in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
England served as the VAR while Cook fulfilled the role of the second assistant referee during Al Ain's triumph over Sharjah, a match that occurred a mere 48 hours prior to the Tottenham vs Liverpool game.
The referee for the match in the UAE was Michael Oliver, who had also been the fourth official in north London.
The FA was approached to request the use of the trio, and their approval was granted without any impact on their availability for Premier League fixtures. Howard Webb, the head of PGMOL, is said to have authorized the trip.
The officials returned to London on Friday to get ready for their responsibilities as VAR and fourth officials, as is customary for those who have had international appointments during the week, according to PGMOL. Yet, there have been concerns regarding their workload and speculation about possible fatigue, particularly since England and Cook were scheduled to officiate another match before being relieved of duty due to their mistake.
We have been informed that the lines were drawn on the image of the Diaz offside and the procedure was followed.
However, in a brief period of distraction, England mistakenly believed that the on-field decision was to award a goal.
Why didn't the VAR team then stop the game?
The exact moment when England and Cook became aware of their error remains a mystery. Shortly after England sent a message to on-field referee Simon Hooper stating 'check complete,' the match resumed in under a minute after Diaz's goal from a free-kick to Tottenham.
With the game now in progress once more, it is believed that the VAR team did not have the authority to intervene.
According to the IFAB regulations on VAR, play cannot be retrospectively reviewed in a situation like this. Rule 10 specifies that the referee can only conduct a review in cases of mistaken identity or for potential sending-off offenses involving violent conduct, spitting, biting, or extremely offensive, insulting, and/or abusive actions.
Gary Neville, a pundit on X, expressed his belief that upon looking at the referee's facial expression, they were considering reversing the game's decision and deeming it a goal.
Observing a particular moment, there was a noticeable change in the referee's demeanor, suggesting a feeling of unease. It should be noted that, though this detail was not visible to viewers at home, the VAR screen in the gantry remained fixed on the offside decision while the game continued. They were aware of the outcome almost immediately, yet for unexplained reasons, did not revisit or were unable to revisit the incident according to the rules.
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Jamie Carragher, a fellow pundit, added his perspective: "No matter how it was done, it is an appalling error. It makes no sense that they can't rectify it simply because a free-kick has already been taken, especially if they realized their grave mistake right after the Spurs free-kick."
