Liverpool issued a statement in response to an apology from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the governing body for referees in England. The apology was related to a controversial decision made during a recent Premier League match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
During the match, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz scored a goal in the 34th minute, which was subsequently disallowed for offside by Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials Darren England and Dan Cook. However, it was later revealed that this decision was incorrect, as still images of the incident showed Tottenham’s Cristian Romero playing Diaz onside. This error led to significant backlash, with Liverpool losing the game 2-1 due to a last-minute own goal by Joel Matip.
In their statement, Liverpool expressed their dissatisfaction with the handling of the situation, criticizing the PGMOL for classifying the incident as a “significant human error,” a label they deemed “unacceptable.” They argued that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, undermining the sporting integrity of the match. They also criticized the VAR system, stating that it should alleviate pressures on match officials rather than exacerbate them.
Liverpool further stated that they would explore all available options, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.
“Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their failures last night. It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined. We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.”
“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention. That such failings have already been categorised as “significant human error” is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.”
“This is vital for the reliability of future decision-making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again. In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution,” read the statement.
Following the controversy, VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook were suspended from their Premier League responsibilities, marking a swift and decisive response to the incident.
