Liverpool fans may be forced to wait until NEXT week to hear audio of blunder VAR after disallowed goal against Spurs
LIVERPOOL fans may have to wait until NEXT week to hear the audio of the conversations between ref Simon Hooper and VAR Darren England after their wrongly-disallowed goal at Spurs.
PGMOL boss Howard Webb is understood to have been pushing for the release of the footage since Sunday, aware that failing to do so would only fuel conspiracy theories.
But Webb and PGMOL have accepted that the Premier League is demanding the completion of the full review into the chaos and cock-up that cost Luis Diaz a legitimate goal.
Liverpool will be the first to receive both the review findings and the tape of the incident and communications between Hooper and England.
PGMOL is keen to get that footage out to the public as soon as possible after Liverpool have had their chance to assess the findings and respond if needed.
However, the process being followed means fans might not get their chance until Webb’s monthly VAR show, likely to be broadcast on Monday – although it will be before then if Prem bosses give their assent.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was the latest to criticise PGMOL, describing the delay in broadcasting the footage as “unfathomable”.
But Webb and his team cannot simply put the footage out until they have been given the green light by Prem chiefs – who are demanding the review is conducted properly to ascertain exactly what happened and what steps will be taken to prevent any recurrence.
PGMOL believes that playing out the full incident will simply prove that this was, as described, a “significant human error”, with England and his assistant Dave Cook believing they were checking the goal was ONSIDE rather than offside.
That mistake saw England tell Hooper” check complete”, meaning the referee signalled for Spurs to take the free-kick and restart play – which ensured the error could not be rectified under Ifab VAR protocols.
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England and Cook, who were stood down from their planned duties at Nottingham Forest on Sunday and Fulham on Monday respectively, have also been omitted from assignments for next weekend’s fixture, although Hooper will be the VAR for Everton’s game with Bournemouth.
The PGMOL review is expected to order a change in the language used by VARs in a bid to ensure there are no repeats.
That is likely to be a fuller command, such as “check complete – you can award the goal” of “check complete – the offside is confirmed, no goal”.
The latest controversy has led to more calls, from fans, pundits and some players alike, for VAR to be scrapped.
Former Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic, now at AC Milan, added his voice when he suggested that the technology should be dumped – except for goal line technology.
Pulisic said: “I don’t mind the Goal Line Technology at all. It’s great in my opinion.
“Other than that I know it’s one of those things where if it goes for you, you love it. If it’s against you, you hate it
“I’d eliminate it completely. Overall as a fan, I just think we’re better off without it.”
Liverpool finished Sunday’s game with nine men as their unbeaten start to the season came to a dramatic end against Spurs.
But it could have been a different result had Diaz’s first-half strike not been wrongly disallowed for offside.
The winger made it 2-1 to Liverpool before he was flagged by the in-game officials.
However, those on VAR bizarrely thought the goal had been awarded.
England and assistant Cook informed ref Hooper to stick with the on-field decision – a move since described as a “significant human error.”
And VAR protocols prevented the error from being corrected as the match resumed at 1-1.
The PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) issued a grovelling apology after Liverpool conceded a 96th minute own-goal to lose 2-1.
But Reds chiefs issued a furious statement demanding the release of the audio conversation between match official Hooper and VAR lead England.