In the wake of a contentious decision that saw Luis Diaz’s goal disallowed for a non-existent offside during Liverpool’s match against Tottenham (resulting in a 1-2 defeat), the English referee has agreed to share the entire exchange between himself and the VAR officials with Liverpool. The audio recording of this exchange is set to be made public, shedding light on the controversial decision that denied Liverpool a crucial goal.
The incident occurred during Saturday’s match when Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed for offside. This decision, deemed a significant refereeing error by Liverpool, left the team frustrated and questioning the integrity of the sport. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Liverpool’s leadership promptly sent an official request to the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL) seeking clarification on how such an error could have occurred.
The PGMOL, responsible for overseeing professional arbitration in English football, issued an apology on Monday, acknowledging that a significant human error had indeed taken place. In response to Liverpool’s request, they have decided to grant access to the audio exchange that transpired between the match’s main referee, Simon Hooper, and VAR referees Darren England and his assistant Dan Cook. Notably, neither of the VAR officials was selected by the Premier League for matches during the week.
In a bid to quell the rising controversy surrounding the incident, the PGMOL has committed to making the audio recording public. However, the release will only occur after Liverpool has had an opportunity to review the content. While fans eagerly await the revelation of what transpired in that crucial exchange, it’s worth noting that the Premier League has also called for a comprehensive review of the entire situation. This review process may potentially impact the timing of the release of the audio in question.
