Refereeing

PGMOL boss Howard Webb will break his silence on the horrific VAR blunder during Tottenham’s win over Liverpool when he appears on Match Officials: Mic’d Up next week.Luis Diaz’s goal was incorrectly disallowed for offside against Spurs on Saturday, before VAR Darren England and AVAR Dan Cook made a huge error in failing to overturn the on-field decision.
Howard Webb will appear on TV to explain the VAR blunderCredit: Getty
VAR failed to overturn the on-field decision after Luis Diaz’s goal was wronglyCredit: Sky Sports
The PGMOL apologised for the “significant human error” – which was that the VAR did not realise the on-field call was to disallow the goal.
Liverpool then demanded the VAR audio be released – which it was – before Jurgen Klopp called for the game to be replayed.
But now PGMOL chief Webb, 52, will open up about the incident on the the second episode of Match Officials: Mic’d Up.
The programme, that will be shown on Sky Sports and TNT Sports on Tuesday, is set to be joined on the broadcast by former Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Last month’s show analysed six different VAR incidents from the opening month of the Premier League season.
But, according to The Mail, the upcoming episode is set to focus solely on what happened at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It will be the first official interview from a member of the PGMOL since the huge VAR error.
VAR England and assistant Cook have both been axed from football fixtures this weekend.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
But referee Hooper is in line to be VAR for Bournemouth’s trip to Everton on Saturday.
After releasing the audio from the incident, the PGMOL also included a bullet point list of “key learnings” from the call.
They read: “Guidance to Video Match Officials has always emphasised the need for efficiency, but never at the expense of accuracy. This principle will be clearly reiterated.
“A new VAR Communication Protocol will be developed to enhance the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team in relation to on-field decisions.
“As an additional step to the process, the VAR will confirm the outcome of the VAR check process with the AVAR before confirming the final decision to the on-field officials.” More

REFEREE Darren England is not expected to take charge of another Liverpool game this season following his VAR blunder on Sunday.England, 37, was responsible for failing to overturn the decision to rule out Luis Diaz’s goal in the Reds’ 2-1 defeat to Tottenham.
Darren England has been slammed for his VAR decision during Tottenham vs LiverpoolCredit: Getty
Luis Diaz was clearly onside but VAR failed to overturn the decision to disallow the goalCredit: Sky Sports
Jurgen Klopp has called for a replay of the matchCredit: Alamy
The lines were drawn to show Diaz was onside, but both England and assistant VAR Dan Cook did not realise the on-field decision was to rule it out.
Play resumed and the VAR officials did not interfere again, meaning the goal remained disallowed.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp called for a replay of the match after the VAR audio had been released.
And The Telegraph have confirmed it is “unlikely” the PGMOL will put England in charge of a Liverpool game for the remainder of the campaign.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
That includes in both as a referee and VAR.
However, he is understood to have received the backing of PGMOL boss Howard Webb and will not be sacked.
Both England and Cook have been removed from officiating in this weekend’s Premier League fixtures.
And they will not feature for at least another fortnight as domestic action pauses for the international break.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Saturday’s mistake was not England’s only high-profile error so far this season.
During a game between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, he went to the monitor to look at a penalty he had awarded and stuck with his decision, before the Premier League’s Key Match Incident panel later judged him to have made the wrong call.
England was also the VAR in charge of Nottingham Forest’s clash with Burnley during which he should gave reinstated a goal for Burnley that had been wrongly disallowed for handball. More

FOOTBALL fans have been left dumbfounded after realising the person that spotted the astonishing VAR blunder during Tottenham’s win over Liverpool was NOT a qualified referee.VAR failed to overturn the on-field decision to disallow Luis Diaz’s goal for offside on Sunday despite drawing the lines to show he was onside.
Luis Diaz was clearly onside but VAR failed to overturn the on-field decisionCredit: Sky Sports
It was the replay operator that spotted the goal had not been awarded rather than the VAR or AVAR
VAR officials Darren England and assistant VAR Dan Cook then restarted the game, confirming the check was complete.
What they somehow failed to realise was that the original decision was offside.
And neither VAR England or AVAR Cook spotted their huge mistake when the game resumed – as has now been revealed following the release of the audio.
Incredibly, it took the replay operator to point out that the goal had been awarded.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
He can be heard saying: “Wait, wait, wait, wait. The on-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this?”
AVAR Cook then responds: “Yeah.”
The replay operator then asks again: “Are you happy with this?”
Cook again bizarrely replies: “Offside, goal, yeah.”
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Then realising his error, he tells England: “That’s wrong that, Daz.”
Confused, VAR England says: “What?”
Once again, the replay operator remains the clearest communicator, adding: “On-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this image? It’s onside. The image that we gave them is onside.”
Only then does England realise the grave error as he can be heard swearing.
The officials go on to insist they cannot stop the game and rectify the mistake as Diaz’s goal remained wrongfully disallowed.
And fans on social media were left flabbergasted that the only unqualified official involved in the process was the one to spot the error.
One supporter said: “Remarkable that it’s the replay operator who’s first to spot this catastrophic error rather than the collection of qualified referees present.”
Another added: “Oh, except for the replay operator, who I think is not a referee, and immediately spots that something major has gone wrong.
“He is then shouted down by the VAR, who just repeats ‘nothing we can do’ in a manner that is…not especially becoming.”
A third replied: “The replay operator realising the massive mistake before any of the qualified PGMOL referees is hardly a positive either, is it?”
While a fourth responded: “The replay operator noticed the error quicker than the team of paid ‘experts’ 😭😭😭.”
And a fifth said: “Congrats to Replay Operator for becoming the the breakout hero of 2023.”
Prior to asking for the audio to be released Liverpool published a strong statement about the incident.
They said: ” 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.
Read More on The Sun
“In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”
The PGMOL took action on Sunday by removing VAR England from Nottingham Forest’s draw with Brentford. More

VAR villain Darren England and assistant Dan Cook have been axed from the weekend fixtures.The pair were responsible for the VAR fiasco during Tottenham’s win over Liverpool after failing to tell referee Simon Hooper to overturn the decision to rule out Luis Diaz’s goal for offside.
Simon Hooper will be the VAR for Everton vs BournemouthCredit: Reuters
Spurs quickly restarted the match, with VAR protocols preventing the error from being corrected.
The PGMOL admitted the blunder and issued a statement claiming a “significant human error” had resulted in the blunder.

They also took swift action by removing England from VAR duty for Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.
The referee, who officiated a match in U.A.E last Thursday, will now sit out of the weekend’s fixtures along with Cook, who was his VAR during the Spurs vs Liverpool disaster.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
England was supposed to referee a Championship clash between Leicester and Preston.
While Simon Hooper, who was the fourth official for Fulham’s defeat to Chelsea on Monday, has avoided punishment and will be VAR for Everton vs Bournemouth on Saturday.
However Hooper did not escape criticism at the weekend after sending off Liverpool duo Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.
Jurgen Klopp claimed neither player deserved to be sent off and the Reds have appealed Jones’ straight red card – with Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp describing his dismissal as “harsh”.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
Klopp also described match as one of the most “unfair” he has ever been a part of, with fans calling for the clash to be replayed.
The PGMOL also intend to release the VAR audio of the failure to award Diaz’s goal once a review into the incident is complete.
The decision comes after Liverpool formally requested to be given the audio from the VAR room at Stockley Park. More

LIVERPOOL have demanded the audio of the conversations between ref Simon Hooper and VAR Darren England after their wrongly-disallowed goal at Spurs.In the latest ratcheting up of their campaign against PGMOL chiefs, the Anfield club made the “formal request” for the full audio recording of the discussions between the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Stockley Park in the aftermath of the incident.
Liverpool have demanded the audio from the decision to rule out Luis Diaz’s goalCredit: Premier League
It comes after Liverpool said there was a “clear need for escalation and resolution” over the catalogue of mistakes that led to Luis Diaz’ strike being ruled out.
But Liverpool’s antagonistic approach has raised the hackles of Prem rivals who are privately accusing the Merseysiders of attempting to  corral officials to give them the benefit of the doubt in future matches.
Club chiefs know that neither PGMOL nor Prem chiefs can respond to Liverpool’s attack on the refs’ body without pouring oil on the flames, giving the Anfield outfit a “free hit”.
There is, though, growing disquiet at the feeling that Liverpool are putting pressure on future referees rather than accepting they were on the wrong end of a dreadful decision.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
It is understood that refs’ boss Howard Webb – who apologised to Liverpool for the error on Saturday evening – is keen to demonstrate that this was a significant cock-up rather than a conspiracy.
League chiefs, though, feel that the full review process – including potential changes in the communications between VARs and referees that might prevent a recurrence – needs to be completed before the audio recording is made available.
Former Prem ref Dermot Gallagher, the unofficial voice of PGMOL, told Sky Sports News that the decision was “the wrong call, 100 per cent” but was simply “a mistake, a very bad mistake, but that was it”.
He added: “The only thing I can say is that we have to learn from it.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“There’s no way this can ever happen again.”
It was believed that England had informed Hooper of his error when the ball next went out of play, meaning that there was nothing the referee could do to make amends.
Gallagher, though, insisted: “I’ve been assured that at no point did he tell the referee he had made a mistake. 
“The referee did not know from minute 34 to half-time that he had made a mistake.” More