The aftermath of Liverpool’s loss to Tottenham was seismic, with many former referees criticizing the use of VAR and other key decisions.
Liverpool released a statement on Sunday evening regarding Luis Diaz’s 2-1 loss against Tottenham and PGMOL’s response.
It was a shock night for referee Simon Hooper, VAR Darren England and assistant VAR Dan Cook as the club claimed “sporting integrity” had been “undermined”.
Although Liverpool received a private apology and a statement “explaining” the farce from the head of the refereeing team, Howard Webb, the focus remains on the referees.
Diaz’s legitimate goal was disallowed in a game that also saw Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota likely sent off, as well as a series of other calls that confused former referees.
Speaking on talkSPORT, former premiership referee Mark Halsey questioned the technology being used and insisted: “With all the technology and the cameras, we have to be parallel to these cases.”
Halsey also explained that he thought Jones was “unfortunate” to be sent off, and criticized England and Cook for challenging Hooper into the stadium for an extended period of time before any film was repeated. The 62-year-old, who has managed 39 Liverpool games, explained that he does not think VAR managers are “good enough”.
“VAR is great for the game, I think it’s very good for the game, but the problem is the staff who use it.
“That’s the problem with our VAR at the moment. We’re not doing it right, the staff is not good enough to fill it at the moment.
“A lot more education and training is needed.
“Since the beginning of the season, we have had conflict after conflict. Not a week goes by that we don’t have an argument.”
Former Premier League referee and former PGMOL chief executive Keith Hackett called on the group to review its operating criteria.
In his Telegraph column, he noted how former official Lee Mason “lost his job” over a similar issue when he “didn’t apply the offside correctly”.
“It is clear that the current system lacks a process that VAR experts can follow,” Hackett continued.
“Not part-timers changing referees on the pitch and then making decisions at Stockley Park.”
The 79-year-old claimed the current VAR set-up had led to “a group of lazy referees who have become indecisive, reactive rather than proactive”.
“[Referees] are too reliant on the safety net that VAR should give them,” he added, “who are happy to throw yellow cards at a wedding like confetti.”
asked Hackett
“Will the Premier League decide to replay the game because of such a seismic error?
“If they don’t act, we will soon find ourselves in situations where teams like Liverpool have a concrete basis to demand replays where there is injustice, and PGMOL’s excuses will start to dry up.
“There are only so many employees you can resign or fire.”
One former official perhaps summed it up best on Twitter with his immediate reaction: “Weekly comedy show. I hope the Saudis come and take the lottery!”
It follows a Telegraph report that Michael Oliver, who was the fourth official on Saturday, has been approached in a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League. One referee who has decided to leave the Premier League and work abroad is Mark Clattenberg, who has played in Saudi Arabia, China and Egypt.
Speaking on ESPN, Clattenberg described Saturday as a “disaster” and admitted he was “confused” by the situation, particularly the allegations about VAR, which they believed was an on-the-spot review.
Writing in the Mail, Clattenberg alluded to suggestions that Oliver, England and Cook played in the United Arab Emirates less than 48 hours before kick-off in north London affected their performance.
“There is speculation that England and Cook’s trip to the UAE on Thursday affected their performance and I can say that these long international trips will take away from that.
“I remember playing in the Europa League on Thursday in Krasnodar, Russia.
– I went back to the referee in the Premier League game at the weekend and the whole time I couldn’t remember what happened in the last 90 minutes, I was so tired. “I know other civil servants who felt the same way. PGMOL must take this into account when ordering these trips.
It remains to be seen whether Webb and the PGMOL will take further action against England and Cook despite their immediate dismissals on Sunday and Monday.
