Liverpool has responded to the PGMOL’s apology regarding the disallowed goal scored by Luis Diaz in their 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The organization responsible for refereeing in England, PGMOL, has already acknowledged that Díaz’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside after VAR officials Darren England and assistant VAR Dan Cook mistakenly believed that the on-field officials had awarded the goal.
In the 34th minute, Diaz believed he had given Liverpool the lead, only for the offside flag to be raised. The VAR team initially misunderstood the on-field decision as a “goal” and promptly recognized that Diaz was onside. They relayed to the on-field team that the “check was complete” to confirm the goal.
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However, when referee Simon Hooper received this information, he misinterpreted it as a confirmation of the assistant’s original offside decision. Consequently, instead of reversing the decision to allow the goal, it remained disallowed.
Liverpool’s statement reads: “Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their errors last night. It is evident that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, leading to a compromise of sporting integrity.
We fully understand the challenges faced by match officials, but these challenges should be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.
It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not provided to allow for the correct decision and that there was no subsequent intervention.
The categorization of these failings as “significant human error” is also unacceptable. All outcomes should be determined solely through a thorough review process with complete transparency.
This is crucial for the credibility of future decision-making that affects all clubs. The lessons learned should be used to enhance processes and prevent such situations from recurring.
In the interim, we will explore available options, recognizing the need for escalation and resolution.”