Liverpool Football Club has released a statement in response to the Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s (PGMOL) apology regarding Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal during their 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The PGMOL, the governing body responsible for refereeing in England, has admitted that Diaz’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Darren England, and assistant VAR, Dan Cook, mistakenly believed that the on-field officials had awarded the goal.
In the 34th minute of the match, Diaz believed he had put Liverpool ahead, but the flag was raised for offside. The VAR team initially thought the on-field decision was a goal, confirmed that Diaz was onside, and informed the on-field team that the goal was valid. However, when referee Simon Hooper was informed of this, he understood his assistant’s decision to be correct, as the assistant had given offside.
As a result, the goal remained disallowed, despite the VAR team’s initial confirmation. Liverpool Football Club acknowledges the PGMOL’s admission of their errors and states that the correct application of the laws of the game was not carried out, leading to a compromise in sporting integrity.
The statement further expresses that while the club understands the pressures faced by match officials, these pressures are expected to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the implementation of VAR. It is deemed unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not given to make the correct decision and that there was no subsequent intervention.
Labelling the failings as “significant human error” is considered unacceptable, as it undermines confidence in future decision-making. The club asserts that all outcomes should be determined through thorough reviews and with complete transparency. It emphasizes the importance of using these learnings to improve processes and prevent such situations from occurring again.
In the meantime, Liverpool Football Club will explore various options available to address the need for escalation and resolution.
