Much has been said about the two-minute clip of the decision that led to Liverpool’s disallowed goal against Tottenham on Saturday.
While the PGMOL’s decision to release the audio has made some aspects of the decision clearer, other areas leave more questions than answers.
Here we discuss the most important parts of the incident.
First, who speaks?
We have VAR Darren EnglandVAR assistant Than Cook, the referee Simon Hooperthe fourth official Michael Olivierthe assistant referee Adrian Holmes which marked Diaz offside, and we hear two VAR replay operators.
The second VAR replay operator we hear from is Mon abbeywho first raises the issue.
Although he is referenced everywhere, we hear nothing Oli KohoutVAR Hub Operations Executive at PGMOL.
The opening statement
Firstly, the opening text states that referee Simon Hooper cannot hear every conversation, “only the comments directed at him”. However, it is unclear exactly which comments are directed against him.
What exactly can he hear? Much of the commentary on this clip is about how chaotic it sounds, with multiple people speaking at once; however, we don’t know exactly what’s coming through Simon Hooper’s ears.
48 seconds
This is when the problem arises. “Check complete, it’s fine,” Darren England said in a very final tone, as if to say, “Continue, it’s fine.”
This, of course, is the seed of the error: the on-field decision was offside, not onside, so intervention was required, rather than a continuation of play.
50 seconds
Two seconds later, play continues after referee Hooper’s whistle. Technically, the chance to stop the game is now over. Three seconds later, replay operator Abby realizes for the first time that there is a problem.
One minute and 11 seconds
With that expletive, it’s very clear that this is the moment Darren England realizes the mistake. Abby then says “delay, delay”, but of course at this point, with the game resuming, nothing can be remedied.
One minute and 16 seconds
The ball goes out of play for a throw-in and the replay operator says Oli Kohout wants the match postponed.
One minute and 32 seconds
Darren England then says “Oli?” – and we hear Michael Oliver say ‘Yes’, and then ‘Yes, move on’ – a big open question here is whether Michael Oliver thinks he’s being spoken to, or Oli Kohout. Kohout cannot be heard in this clip.
At this point the ball is still out of play. Abby again pleads for the match to be postponed, but England again insists that this is not possible because the match has restarted.
One minute and 41 seconds
Twenty-eight seconds after the ball goes out of play for a throw, and three separate people talk about delaying the game, Andrew Robertson throws the ball back on the field and the game starts again.
Could common sense have prevailed and the game stopped during those 28 seconds? And, crucially, did referee Hooper or any other referee on the pitch hear these conversations?
Gary Neville claimed on Twitter that a screen he could see in the portal made Hooper look “sick” during the match after he realized a mistake had been made, but Dermot Gallagher said on Ref Watch that referee Hooper was only made aware halfway through brought about the problem. time.
The final statement
Another slate is shown at the end of the audio clip, in which the PGMOL states that it has conducted a “full investigation into the circumstances” and will implement conditions to ensure the same mistake does not occur in the future.
In a statement accompanying the release of the audio, the PGMOL accepted that “standards did not meet expectations” and confirmed that a “detailed report, including key learnings and immediate actions taken, has been submitted to the Premier League, which has shared it with Liverpool FC and then all the other Premier League clubs”.
According to the PGMOL, these key lessons include:
- Guidance for video match officials has always emphasized 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 improve the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team regarding on-field decisions
- As an additional step in the process, the VAR will confirm the outcome of the VAR review process with the AVAR before confirming the final decision to the field officials.
There has been widespread criticism that England and Cook were allowed to perform in the United Arab Emirates for a match that took place just 48 hours before the match between Tottenham and Liverpool.
The PGMOL, together with the FA, pledged to review the policy to allow match officials to officiate matches outside FIFA or UEFA arrangements.
Ref Watch: One small question could have prevented ‘terrible mistake’
Sky Sports’ Dermot Gallagher:
“It was a terrible mistake to make. Everyone has acknowledged that,
“It’s about the process now and one of the processes they will have to undertake from now on is that the VAR will have to ask the referee: ‘What is the decision on the pitch?’
“If that little question had been asked and (Simon Hooper) had said ‘offside’ then you have a starting point. Then you can move on. Unfortunately, because that question was not asked, they were left with the impression that the goal had been scored. the field and that’s how everything went.”
Analysis: Protocols will change, lessons will be learned
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“When I listen to the audio, I keep wondering why they were in such a hurry to make that decision.
“They are being pressured to make these decisions very quickly. When VAR was first introduced, and it took a long time for them to make these decisions, everyone complained that it took too long.
“The people in the stadiums didn’t know what was going on either, so I think that’s why they tried to speed up the decision-making process.
“But if you listen to the audio, it’s clear that if you do something at that speed, and there are that many people watching and depending on your decision-making, mistakes are going to be made.”