- Ange Postecoglou says there is no ‘flawless system’ amid fury over VAR
- The Spurs boss would not have allowed Liverpool to score, despite an unfairly disallowed goal
- Click HERE to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’
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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has dismissed suggestions that his side could have let Liverpool score an uncontested goal after Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed against them last week.
Spurs defeated the Reds 2–1 in the 96th minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium through a Joel Matip own goal after a highly controversial match in which Liverpool received two controversial red cards.
Liverpool were left seething when Diaz’s first-half strike was disallowed after Simon Hooper ruled him offside. The VAR recognized the Colombian as offside, but wrongly believed that the on-field referee had awarded the goal.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp this week insisted the match should be replayed and the subject of the match has been hotly debated among pundits and fans this week – although Postecoglou insisted he would not have allowed Liverpool to go to the other side to go and score after the incident.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said he would not have let Liverpool score an uncontested goal after Luis Diaz’s strike was wrongly disallowed
VAR disallowed a Diaz goal during Tottenham’s controversial 2-1 win last week, despite replays clearly showing Cristian Romero playing him onside
Marcelo Bielsa famously instructed his Leeds players to let Aston Villa score against them after a controversial goal in 2019
“I just don’t see that,” he said at his press conference ahead of Spurs’ visit to Luton on Saturday afternoon.
‘If we want managers to be the arbiters in these kinds of matters. We have some pretty big responsibilities at our football clubs, but we are not the administrators. I wouldn’t make a decision that could potentially bring down a club because of my beliefs.
“If someone could tell me at that moment that they could explain everything that happened within a prism of 30 seconds… I had to make a decision and that wasn’t going to happen.
‘It’s different when it’s something clear. It was a serious mistake due to a lack of communication, but it was not something that was easily explained. If it was easily explainable, I would assume there would have been (less) commotion than there was.”
In 2019, Marcelo Bielsa allowed an opponent to score against his team after Mateusz Klich scored a goal against Aston Villa, despite the away side retiring following an injury to Jonathan Kodjia – expecting Tyler Roberts to put the ball out of play before he continued playing.
Postecoglou insisted managers are ‘not the custodians’ as fallout from VAR blunder continues this week
PGMOL apologized for Diaz’s goal being ruled out and has since released the VAR audio
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The Australian said he was only aware after the match that a significant mistake had been made, but insisted that a ‘faultless, flawless system’ does not exist and will never work.
“I don’t think anyone realized that anything major had happened during the match,” he added. ‘It wasn’t until I arrived at the press conference that I knew something important had to happen. Quite a big adventure in a football match.
“Whatever I say will be seen through the prism that we were the beneficiaries of a mistake, and we certainly were. The facts are that there was a legitimate purpose that was not stated. It became clear that it was not an integrity issue, but an error in communication that cost Liverpool a goal.
“We want a flawless flawless system that doesn’t exist and never will unless we want to turn our game into an event that lasts four hours while we explain every decision.”
Postecoglou – whose side are unbeaten this season after five wins and two draws – also expressed his condolences to VAR official Darren England, who he hoped would not be punished for not playing again this season.
VAR official Darren England (left) and VAR assistant Dan Cook (right) were dropped from their roles for upcoming matches after the high-profile error
‘I don’t know if that has been decided yet. I’d be surprised if they went that way. It’s a significant mistake, but it’s a human being who made it. I don’t think there’s anything that needs to go too far.
“I think everyone just wants to make sure what happened doesn’t happen again.
‘And that’s something else: don’t ask managers and players about the rules of the game. We don’t know half of it. That’s what the referees do. We shouldn’t comment on it because if a referee commented on the tactics of the game we would all be jumping up and down too.
“From my perspective, when I listened to that audio and said ‘check complete,’ someone clearly thought that was a good way to wrap things up and it’s been worked on so far.
‘I thought it was logical to say ‘goal for Liverpool’ and there is no other option than to say that in the ignorance of not knowing how it really works.
“When you listen to that, you probably think there are better ways to convey a clear decision in such a big situation. I hope that’s what they mean, and not the person who made the mistake. I think that’s a neglect of the game.
‘That’s like when I leave a player out to dry just because he made a mistake. My role is to go in and help that player improve, not say ‘now you’ll never play again’.”