The referees’ body, Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), has sent Liverpool the audio relating to the controversial VAR error that cost them a goal at Tottenham on Saturday. An interval review of the incident is ongoing but the relevant audio has been shared with Liverpool after the club formally requested a copy on Monday.
Liverpool were left seething over the failure of the VAR, Darren England, and assistant VAR, Dan Cook, to overturn the incorrect on-pitch decision to disallow Luis Díaz’s goal for offside, one that would have put them 1-0 up against Spurs having had Curtis Jones sent off following VAR intervention. They went on to lose the game 2-1, having also had Diogo Jota sent off, and, the following day, released a statement criticising PGMOL’s assessment that “significant human error” was to blame and calling for a wide-ranging, fully transparent review into the entire process. That was followed 24 hours later by a request for the audio that led to Díaz’s goal not being given to be released.
PGMOL was happy to do so in order to be as open and transparent as possible and provided Liverpool with the audio on Tuesday. The club are now in the process of reviewing it.
The audio is also likely to be released publicly and that could occur before it is potentially presented on Match Officials Mic’d Up, a monthly television programme hosted by former England striker Michael Owen and the PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, designed to display greater transparency around some of the biggest refereeing incidents and talking points. The next Mic’d Up show, which airs previously unheard audio between on-field officials and the VAR team at Stockley Park, is slated for the beginning of next week.
The last Mic’d Up show, aired last month, saw Webb admit that Simon Hooper, who was the referee at Tottenham on Saturday, should have awarded Wolves a penalty in their 1-0 defeat at Manchester United in August after Andre Onana clattered Sasa Kalajdzic in stoppage time of the game. Hooper and the VAR, Michael Salisbury, and assistant VAR, Richard West, were stood down from the following round of matches.
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That fate has also befallen England and Cook. The pair were withdrawn from Premier League officiating duties on Sunday and Monday respectively and will also not be involved in top-flight games this weekend. However, Hooper is down to be the VAR for Everton’s home match with Bournemouth on Saturday.