October 1st 2023.
Liverpool Football Club have released a scathing statement following the VAR error that resulted in Luis Diaz's goal being incorrectly ruled offside against Tottenham on Saturday. The Merseysiders claim that sporting integrity was 'undermined' in north London, and that they will now 'explore a range of options' to 'escalate and resolve' the matter.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Liverpool thought they had taken the lead when Mohamed Salah slipped in Diaz and the Colombian rifled into the far corner. Unfortunately, the linesman's flag was raised for offside and the game restarted with a free-kick to Tottenham.
It quickly became clear that an error had been made, with Diaz clearly onside. Refereeing body PGMOL then released a statement after the match confirming that a 'significant human error' had occurred.
Spurs went on to win the match 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time own goal from Joel Matip, with Diogo Jota also sent off in the second half after two yellow cards. Liverpool's statement has highlighted the need for 'the correct application of the laws of the game', and for 'full transparency' when it comes to VAR reviews.
The statement reads: 'It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined. We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.'
Liverpool have expressed their dissatisfaction with the usage of VAR and lack of intervention following the restart, and will now explore their available options. Following the blunder, PGMOL have stood down VAR official Darren England and assistant VAR Dan Cook.
The incident has highlighted the need for a reliable VAR system that works in the best interests of match officials, clubs, and most importantly, the fans. Liverpool Football Club have promised to take action in order to ensure that similar situations do not occur again.
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