VAR audio released from Liverpool’s disallowed goal by Luis Diaz in defeat at Spurs

The VAR audio of Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed goal for Liverpool at Tottenham has been released by the PGMOL, revealing that the replay operator was the only person who immediately noticed the error and urged the referees to stop the match .

Diaz was flagged for offside after scoring, but replays showed he was actually offside.

But Darren England, the VAR, wrongly believed that the on-field decision had been to award the goal, prompting him to tell Simon Hooper, the referee, that the check had been completed.

After England and assistant VAR Dan Cook were alerted to their mistake by the replay operator when the goal was not awarded, they repeatedly said they could not intervene because the match had restarted.

“I can’t do anything,” England said when the replay operator asked for play to be stopped.

In an increasingly frantic conversation, the unnamed replay operator says, “Oli is calling to say the game has to be postponed. The decision is out there.”

It is understood that the ‘Oli’ referred to is Oli Kohout, the Director of VAR Hub Operations.

Audio from fourth official Michael Oliver is not included in the clip.

As the replay operator continues to try to stop play, England says “can’t do anything” five more times before Cook agrees by adding: “They’ve restarted”.

No further communication with referee Hooper on the field is included. Air sports has reported that Hooper was first informed of the error at halftime.

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.

What’s said in the audio: Read the full transcript here

This is the transcript of what was said between the officials. The on-field referee does not hear all the audio from the VAR room, only the comments addressed to him.

Assistant referee 1: ‘To wait. Postpone, postpone.”

VAR: “Possibly offside, Diaz.”

Assistant referee 1: “I’m coming back for offside, mate.”

VAR: “Just checking offside, delay, delay.”

VAR: “Give the kick point, let’s go. Kick point, please?”

Referee: “Yeah, no worries, buddy.”

Replay operator: “So here we are.”

Referee: “To wait.”

Replay operator: “Just take a tight angle.”

VAR: “Yes, next give me a 2D line ready for frame two after that.”

Replay operator: “So frame two there?”

VAR: “That’s fine.”

VAR: “Perfect, yes.”

VAR: “2D line on the left boot.”

Replay operator: “Let me switch angles for a moment.”

VAR: “Romero, I think it is?”

Replay operator: “I think this angle might be better? Happy with this angle?”

VAR: “Yes.”

Replay operator: “2D line on the trunk?”

VAR: “2D line on the left boot.”

Replay operator: “Yeah, fine.”

Replay operator: “So, 2D line on the trunk.”

VAR: “And stop.”

VAR: “Check complete, check complete. That’s fine, perfect.”

Assistant referee 1: “To play.”

Referee: “Cheers friend.”

VAR: “Thanks mate.”

Referee: “Good job guys. Good process.”

Replay operator: “Wait, wait, wait, wait. The decision on the field was offside.”

Replay operator: “Are you happy with this?”

Assistant VAR: “Yes.”

Replay operator: “Are you happy with this?”

Assistant VAR: “Offside, goal, yes.”

Assistant VAR: “That’s wrong, Daz.”

VAR: “What?”

Replay operator: “The decision on the pitch was offside. Are you happy with this image? Yes, it is onside. The image we gave them is offside.”

Assistant VAR: “The left back he played against him is gone.”

VAR: “Oh (expletive).”

Replay operator: “Delay, delay.”

Replay operator: “Oli’s (PGMOL Hub Ops) says postponement, Oli says postponement.”

VAR: “Excuse me?”

Replay operator: “Oli calls to say the match has to be postponed. The decision is onside.”

VAR: “I can not do anything.”

Replay operator: “Oli says postponement, Oli says postponement.”

VAR: “Oli?”

Fourth official: “Yes?”

Replay operator: “Postpone the game, postpone the game. Stop the game.”

VAR: “They restarted the game. Can’t do anything, can’t do anything.”

Assistant VAR: “Yes, they restarted. Yes.”

VAR: “I can not do anything.”

Assistant VAR: “No.”

VAR: “I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything. *Expletive*.”

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.”