Jurgen Klopp has sensationally called for Liverpool’s match with Tottenham to be replayed following VAR’s ‘significant error in disallowing Luis Diaz’s goal for offside
Liverpool’s Colombian winger scored but his goal was chalked off for offside due to a monumental mess-up by VAR which saw those at Stockley Park wrongly believe the on-field decision to be ‘goal’, meaning they said the check was complete, with the player clearly onside.
The Reds officially demanded the recording on Monday and their request was granted on Tuesday afternoon, with referee’s body PGMOL making the audio tape public on Tuesday night – which showed officials knew of their huge mistake immediately but still did not stop the game.
Ahead of Liverpool’s Europa League clash with Union SG, Klopp said he believed the match – which finished 2-1 in favour of Tottenham – should be replayed as ‘something like this has never happened’.
He said: ‘The audio didn’t change it at all. I wasn’t interested in why things happened. I saw the outcome, I saw a goal, we scored.
Jurgen Klopp has called for Liverpool’s match with Tottenham to be replayed following VAR’s ‘significant error’ in disallowing Luis Diaz’s strike during Saturday’s 2-1 away defeat
Liverpool made a formal request to receive the VAR audio from the decision to disallow Luis Diaz’s goal for offside against Tottenham – which was released in public on Tuesday
VAR wrongly believed the on-field decision to be ‘goal’, meaning they said the check was complete, with the player clearly onside.
Klopp acknowledged that the officials had made a mistake and ‘didn’t do it on purpose’ but felt that the unprecedented nature of the situation meant that the game should be replayed
Liverpool – who went down to nine man through red cards for Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota – went on to lose the match to Tottenham after a stoppage time own-goal by Joel Matip
‘It’s important we really deal with it in a proper way. I mean all of the people involved, the referee, linesman, fourth official and especially VAR – they didn’t do it on purpose. We should not forget that. Yes it was a mistake, an obvious mistake.
‘I think there would have been solutions for it. I can say immediately, even though some people wouldn’t want me to say, not as a Liverpool manager, more as a football person, the only outcome should be a replay. That’s how it is. Probably won’t happen.
‘The argument against that probably will be, if we open that gate, then everyone will ask for it. I think that situation is that unprecedented, it didn’t happen before.’
He added: ‘Something like that has never happened. Which is why I think a replay would be the right thing.
‘The argument would be if it would happen again, the replay would be the right thing to do, or the referee has the opportunity to bring both coaches together and say ‘sorry, we made a mistake but we can sort it’ that Liverpool score a goal and go from there.’
Asked if Liverpool were planning to formally lodge an appeal to replay the game, he said: ‘At this stage we are still going through the information we have.’
VAR official Darren England and his assistant from the game Dan Cook were dropped from their roles for the weekend’s fixtures.
The PGMOL released the full audio from the VAR hub during Liverpool ‘s controversial 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, that saw referee Simon Hooper incorrectly disallow the Reds a goal
VAR official Darren England (left) and VAR assistant Dan Cook (right) were dropped from their roles for upcoming fixtures after the high-profile error
Klopp said that neither man should face any further punishment.
He said: ‘In this specific moment, we conceded two minutes after we scored a regular goal and how all things depend on each other so it would have been different. That’s one thing and that’s my view on it. I’m not angry with them.
‘It’s not only the respect, but the only thing for humans in general is not to go for them. They made a mistake and they felt 100 per cent horrible that night. No one needs any further punishment.
‘I feel we should discuss it on a normal basis without emotions.’
Liverpool’s vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold was also quizzed by the media ahead of their Europa League clash on Thursday.
The England international didn’t appear to share the same belief as Klopp and even joked ‘what happened?’ when asked about if Liverpool players had spoken about the weekend’s events.
He added: ‘We spoke about things but our focus is on tomorrow. Nothing we can do about what goes on. That’s the past we focus on a different competition.’
When quizzed further if he felt there were any ‘trust issues’ with referees, he added: ‘I wouldn’t say trust decisions. Decisions are decisions.
‘Sometimes they go for you and sometimes they go against. What happened at the weekend is frustrating but it’s past us and nothing we can do as players now. We’ve just got to move forward.
Trent Alexander-Arnold joked ‘what happened?’ when quizzed about whether he and his Liverpool team-mates had discussed the weekend’s controversy
‘VAR is a system that’s in place. We can’t control it as players. We have to put trust in the officials that use it and hope they get it right. At times they don’t, at times they do but we have to hope they get it right as much as possible.’
In the audio released on Tuesday, the VAR operator is heard to say after play wrongly restarted, ‘Wait, wait, wait, wait, the on-field decision was ‘offside’, are you happy with this? That’s wrong that, Daz (Darren England, VAR)’, to which England sighs and swears, shouting ‘Oh f***’.
Oli Kohout, the VAR Hub Operations Executive, called in to order officials to delay the game and right their wrong, but England bluntly replied, ‘Can’t do anything’ and the game restarted with a Tottenham free-kick. ‘I can’t do anything… (bleeped-out expletives),’ England continued
The audio demonstrates a breakdown in communication between those involved and a serious lapse in concentration by VAR. The PGMOL previously hired Phil Bentham, former rugby league referee and TMO, to help make sure their messages are clear and concise.
Moments after the match restarted, officials are heard to say ‘perfect’ and ‘well done boys, good process’. The PGMOL said in a statement that ‘standards fell short of expectations’ and it has identified three key areas ‘to mitigate against the risk of a future error’.
A Premier League spokesperson on Tuesday night added: ‘It is clear that there were not only human errors but systemic weaknesses in the VAR process. We accept PGMOL’s immediate recommendations to ensure that such failures are not repeated in the future.
‘However, a wider review to seek consistently higher standards of VAR performance will be conducted by the Premier League and PGMOL and where necessary further recommended actions will be brought forward and implemented.’
Sports lawyer Stephen Taylor Heath, co-head of law firm JMW Solicitors, told Mail Sport that the Premier League board holds the power to order a league match to be replayed if recommended by an appointed commission.
Klopp also voiced his displeasure on Jones’ red card – pointing out that the referee was shown a still image when he went to the check the tackle on the monitor
Heath said: ‘If the PGMOL’s position is that the initial error was that they thought a goal had been given, then it is quite troubling as the graphic shows it displayed what they were being asked to check.
‘There is a possibility that Liverpool could put pressure on the Premier League board to convene a commission which would have the ability, among other possible outcomes, to implement a replay.
‘It could be argued that if the official had immediately been aware of an error and communicated that to players and staff, Tottenham’s manager could have allowed Liverpool to score a goal unchallenged.’
Klopp was also frustrated with the decisions to send Jones and Jota off during the defeat to Tottenham.
Jones was shown a straight red in the first-half, before Jota later was sent off for two yellows.
Klopp said: ‘What I thought made this day really difficult is all the other decisions.
‘In this game there was other situation where Curtis Jones got sent off and I stick to my opinion it was a red card. The referee gets called over to a frozen picture. I would have given a red card from that frozen picture. In slow motion I would have given a red card. But in real time it’s not a red card.’
In regards to Jota, he added: ‘Diogo Jota got two yellow cards for not touching a player once. That’s unprecedented as well.’
How the latest VAR controversy unfolded – transcript in full
Assistant referee 1 (Adrian Holmes): ‘All good. Both holding. Both holding’
Referee (Simon Hooper): ‘Yeah, leave it alone.’
Assistant referee 1: ‘Waiting. Delaying, delaying.’
VAR (Darren England): ‘Possible offside, Diaz.’
Assistant referee 2 (Simon Long): ‘Give it.’
Assistant referee 1: ‘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 (Dan Cook): ‘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 f***’
Replay operator: ‘Delay, delay. Oli (Kohout, 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 restarted. Yeah. No.’
VAR: ‘I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything. F***.’