04 October 2023 , 09:07
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For all the frenzied derision prompted by the PGMOL releasing the VAR audio that led to Luis Diaz having a goal disallowed against Spurs, Liverpool fans have found a positive.
The calamitous exchange between officials exposes how VAR Darren England wrongly instructed referee Simon Hooper to uphold the on-field decision, with Diaz ruled offside. But England's directive was due to his own misunderstanding, wrongly believing a goal had been given and that he was simply confirming it was 1-0 to the Reds.
England can then be heard shouting: “Oh f***” when his error became apparent, with Oli Kohout - the VAR Hub Ops executive - calling in vain for the match to be halted and the decision corrected. But with play having already restarted since the offside was given, a panicked England insisted: “I can’t do anything."
By the letter of the law, his hands were tied the moment the action got back underway. However, having been stood down from this weekend's fixtures, England has also been blasted for not applying common sense to proceedings and asking the referee to pause matters whilst he explained the error.
But on the contrary, the efforts of Kohout have been lauded by irate Liverpool fans. On social media, one fan wrote: "The only good thing about VAR-gate is the VAR technician had the balls to at least speak up to the incompetent idiots in the room. Sounds like he tried all he could and was utterly gobsmacked himself."
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Another added: "And the incompetence came from the ‘trained’ referees. The VAR technician and his boss were the ones immediately seeing the issue and trying to correct it with urgency."
VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook have since been removed from fixtures (Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Is it time to scrap VAR? Comment below.
The latest in a long line of VAR controversies has piled pressure on PGMOL chief Howard Webb. And in a released statement, the organisation has pledged future alterations: “A detailed report, including the key learnings and immediate actions taken, alongside the audio between the on-field officials and VAR team has been submitted to the Premier League, who have shared it with Liverpool FC and subsequently all other Premier League Clubs," it read.
“PGMOL are committed to enhancing VAR performance through a new training programme which started this season and focuses on process and best practice for all VARs, AVARs and Replay Operators in their specific roles. While we have a number of FIFA-recognised VARs, work is ongoing to create a dedicated pool of VAR specialists.”