Liverpool request audio of referee and VAR's conversation amid fury over offside

02 October 2023 , 17:05

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Liverpool request audio of referee and VAR's conversation amid fury over offside

Liverpool have made a formal request to access audio of the conversation between referee Simon Hooper and the VAR during Saturday's controversial offside incident in their loss at Tottenham.

Luis Diaz had a goal incorrectly ruled out due to an apparent miscommunication between video assistant referee Darren England and on-field official Hooper. After releasing a statement on Sunday evening claiming that they would "explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution," Liverpool now want to hear the full conversation between England and Hooper.

It's understood the club's first move will be to assess exactly what was said between the officials during the incident which came at the time when the scoreline was goalless. Within an hour of full-time, the PGMOL issued a statement acknowledging that "significant error" had occurred, but it didn't satisfy those at Anfield.

It's claimed by the PGMOL that VAR England was under the assumption that the on-field decision was for Diaz's goal to be given, thus giving his colleague a 'check complete' notice rather than drawing the offside lines to show the the Colombian was indeed onside. Protocol states that once play restarts, the game cannot be brought back to the VAR check even if there was a mistake.

The Premier League quickly took action against England, who replaced as the fourth official for Nottingham Forest's home clash with Brentford match on Sunday. His assistant VAR for the Liverpool game, Dan Cook, has been replaced for Monday night's fixture between Fulham and Chelsea.

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Liverpool have expressed their fury after PGMOL acknowledged a "significant human error" (Javier Garcia/REX/Shutterstock)

Referee and VAR appointments for this weekend's matches are set to be announced at 10am on Tuesday morning. Fans are also eagerly anticipating the next 'Match Official's Mic'd Up' programme which airs next Monday, with the PGMOL not yet ruling out the Diaz incident being featured.

Further controversy came when it emerged that both England and Cook had made a six-hour flight from the United Arab Emirates the day before the match at Tottenham, having taken charge of a league game between Al Ain and Sharjah in the UAE Pro League on Thursday evening.

Their trip was approved by PGMOL chief Howard Webb, as it didn't affect their availability to be selected for Premier League fixtures. Webb has contacted Liverpool to apologise for the incorrect decision, having done the same with various other clubs this season.

Nathan Ridley