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PGMOL audio shows the moment their monumental Luis Diaz blunder cost Liverpool a perfectly good goal against Tottenham.
VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook incorrectly gave a 'check complete' signal to on-field referee Simon Hooper after the goal had incorrectly been ruled out for offside. The officials were aware of the mistake in seconds but believed that the game had to continue with the mistake locked in under VAR rules.
The audio, which was released on Tuesday after a formal request from the club, showed how the decision was made. The audio includes the voices of the linesman, who flags for offside as well as the VAR and assistant VAR who checking with the lines and finding quickly that Diaz was well onside.
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The call of check complete follows, with the replay operator then telling the team that the on-field decision was in fact offside.
One of the officials then swears before the insistence that they couldn't take any action after the game had been restarted with a Spurs free-kick.
The PGMOL said in an updated statement: "As stated shortly after the full-time whistle on Saturday evening, we acknowledged in a statement that a significant human error had occurred during the aforementioned match, which we recognise should have resulted in a goal being awarded through VAR intervention.
"As with all goal situations, the VAR team checked every aspect of the goal. After the on-field officials had disallowed the goal for offside, the checking phase and process started and was carried out correctly by the VAR. The kick-point selection was accurate and the use of a single 2D line on the foot of the second rear-most defender was also correctly positioned.
"The image created showed that Luis Diaz was clearly onside, without the need for the insertion of a second line. In a lapse of concentration and loss of focus in that moment, the VAR lost sight of the on-field decision and he incorrectly communicated “check complete”, therefore inadvertently confirming the on-field decision. He did this without any dialogue with the AVAR [Assistant VAR].
"The match then restarted immediately. After a few seconds, the Replay Operator and then the AVAR queried the check-complete outcome with the VAR and asked him to review the image that had been created, pointing out that the original on-field decision had been offside, but this was not communicated to the on-field team at any point during the match.
"The VAR team then gave consideration as to whether the game could be stopped at that point, however the VAR and AVAR concluded that the VAR protocol within the Laws of the Game would not permit that to happen, and they decided intervention was not possible as play had restarted.
"PGMOL has carried out a review into the circumstances which led to this incorrect outcome and the subsequent learnings will be implemented to mitigate the risk of errors occurring in the future."
Liverpool, who would've led the fixture at the time of the blunder but went on to lose 2-1, had called on the body responsible for refereeing in England to release the audio.
They released a brutal statement after the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) had admitted to "significant human error" which infuriated Jurgen Klopp.
The club said that "sporting integrity had been undermined" before insisting that they would "explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution".
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There was confusion over what that could mean including a potential replay of the game, with Jamie Carragher passionately calling for the audio to be released.
He had said on Sky Sports: "I do feel as if this is almost like a crisis point for VAR in this country." Then added: "But it is a horrendous mistake that is unprecedented, and you can't actually quite believe the explanation that has been given."
Officials England and Cook have both been removed from their duties on the next round of Premier League fixtures since the incident on Saturday.
FULL TRANSCRIPT OF VAR AUDIO:
Assistant referee 1: “All good. Both holding. Both holding”
Referee: “Yeah, leave it alone.”
Assistant referee 1: “Waiting. Delaying, delaying.”
VAR: “Possible offside, Diaz.”
Assistant referee 2: “Give it.”
Assistant referee1: “Coming back for the offside, mate.”
VAR: “Just checking the offside. Delay, delay.”
VAR: “Give the kick point, let’s go. Kick point please?”
Referee: “Yeah, no worries mate.”
Replay operator: “So, here we are.”
Referee: “Wait.”
Replay operator: “Just get a tight angle.”
VAR: “Yeah give me 2D line ready after this one from frame two after that.”
Replay operator: “So frame two there?”
VAR: “That’s fine. Perfect, yeah. 2D line on the left boot.”
Replay operator: “Let me just switch angles.”
VAR: “Romero, I think it is?”
Replay operator: “I think it might be this angle better? Happy with this angle?”
VAR: “Yep.”
Replay operator: “2D line on the boot?”
VAR: “2D line on the boot.”
Replay operator: “Yep, okay. So 2D line on the boot.”
VAR: “And stop. Check complete, check complete. That’s fine, perfect.”
Assistant referee 1: “Playing.”
Referee: “Cheers mate.”
VAR: “Thank you mate.”
Referee: “Well done boys, good process.”
Replay operator: “Wait, wait, wait, wait. The on-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this?”
Assistant VAR: “Yeah.”
Replay operator: “Are you happy with this?”
Assistant VAR: “Offside, goal, yeah. That’s wrong that, Daz.”
VAR: “What?”
Replay operator: “On-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this image? Yeah, it is onside. The image that we gave them is onside.”
Assistant VAR: “He’s playing him, he’s gone offside.
VAR: “Oh (expletive)”
Replay operator: “Delay, delay. Oli (PGMOL Hub Ops) saying to delay, Oli’s saying to delay.”
VAR: “Pardon?”
Replay operator: “Oli’s calling in to say delay the game. The decision is onside.”
VAR: “Can’t do anything.”
Replay operator: Oli’s saying to delay, Oli’s saying to delay.”
VAR: “Oli?”
Fourth official: “Yeah.”
Replay operator: “Delay the game, to delay the game? Stop the game.”
VAR: “They've started the game. Can’t do anything, can’t do anything.”
Assistant VAR: “Yeah they’ve restated. Yeah. No.”
VAR: “I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything. (Expletive).”
- Jurgen Klopp
- Premier League
- Liverpool FC
- Tottenham Hotspur FC
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