THE Video Assistant Referee for Liverpool’s game against Everton allegedly did not know he could give Jordan Pickford a red card.
The Mail claim that David Coote believed Virgil van Dijk’s offside in the build-up nullified the goalkeeper’s challenge.
Virgil van Dijk faces a stint on the sidelines as a result of the challengeCredit: Eddie Keogh Telegraph Media Group
It is reported that Coote checked the offside decision on Van Dijk ‘forensically’.
But the VAR allegedly did not review Pickford’s challenge after ‘forgetting’ the rules.
The official wrongly believed the offside call ruled out any incident that followed.
Van Dijk was caught offside after a looping ball was delivered into the six-yard box.
The defender’s heavy touch knocked the ball out of play but England ace Pickford had already commited.
His challenge wiped out Van Dijk, who could now miss the rest of the season.
The Liverpool ace is to undergo surgery to mend his damaged knee ligaments.
Writing for SunSport, veteran referee Mark Halsey has insisted major changes need to be made.
David Coote did not review the incident to check if Jordan Pickford should have been sent offCredit: Reuters
He said: “It’s evident things aren’t right with the leadership and direction of management within the refereeing fraternity.”
Following the backlash from fans, Merseyside police have launched an investigation into an alleged series of offensive tweets.
The social media posts are believed to have targeted Jordan Pickford and Richarlison, who was sent off late in the game for an awful challenge of Thiago Alcantara.
Jurgen Klopp says he doesn’t know how serious Van Dijk’s injury is and discusses the off-side situation
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
