In football terms, Liverpool has made an official request to review the audio related to Saturday’s offside controversy during their match against Tottenham.
This decision comes after a contentious call that disallowed a goal by Luis Diaz due to a miscommunication between VAR official Darren England and on-field referee Simon Hooper. The game remained goalless at the time of the incident, and Liverpool eventually lost 2-1.
Liverpool has now formally requested access to the audio recording of the conversation between these two officials, which is held by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the referees’ governing body.
In response to this incident, Liverpool issued a statement on Sunday night, expressing their need for escalation and resolution. Their first step in achieving this has been to obtain access to the dialogue between England and Hooper, which led to the controversial decision.
The PGMOL acknowledged a “significant error” on Saturday night. While Hooper and his assistants initially ruled Diaz offside, it is understood that England, despite following correct procedure in using lines, lost focus and incorrectly believed that the on-field decision was onside. Consequently, he issued a “check complete” notice to Hooper, rather than advising for an intervention and awarding the goal.
Once play had resumed and it was realized that an error had occurred, VAR protocols prevented revisiting the decision.
Following this incident, England was replaced as a fourth official for the Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford match, while Dan Cook, the assistant VAR at Tottenham, was replaced for the Fulham vs. Chelsea match on Monday night.
The appointments for referees and VAR officials for the upcoming weekend’s matches are scheduled to be announced on Tuesday morning.
The controversy surrounding the Diaz goal has led to calls for the conversation between England and Hooper to be made public. PGMOL has not ruled out the possibility of including this audio in the next ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’ program, scheduled to air next Monday.
In the world of football officiating, requests for English officials to oversee domestic matches abroad are made to the Football Association, with approval granted jointly by the FA and PGMOL.
It’s important to note that, similar to players who participate in Europa League matches on Thursdays and return to domestic action on Sundays, officials’ schedules are adjusted to accommodate overseas assignments during the week.
While Liverpool has voiced concerns about sporting integrity being compromised due to the error, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag expressed continued trust in referees, emphasizing the need for high standards in the game. He emphasized that referees are professionals who strive to give their best and maintain the integrity of the Premier League.