The controversy continues to make a lot of noise in England! While Liverpool was denied a goal from Luis Diaz against Tottenham, during the clash of the 7th day of the Premier League won by Spurs, for a non-existent offside by the Colombian striker (knowing that the score was still 0 to 0 at that time), the Reds, like their coach Jurgen Klopp, did not take off after this huge arbitration scandal. This goal should therefore have been validated. Especially since the error was recognized by the body responsible for officials within the English championship. “The PGMOL acknowledges that a significant human error occurred during Tottenham Hotspurs’ first half against Liverpool. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded via VAR intervention, however, VAR did not intervene. PGMOL will conduct a full review of the circumstances that led to the error”, could we read in particular in the official press release from the governing body. However, the Mersey club, victim of this gross error, decided to also react in an official press release to point out the breaches of sporting fairness, which is nevertheless essential.
“Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s acknowledgment of its failings last night. It is clear that the laws of the game were not applied correctly, which undermined sporting integrity. We are fully aware of the pressures match officials are under, but these pressures are intended to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR. It is therefore unsatisfactory that there was not enough time to make the right decision and that there was no subsequent intervention. It is also unacceptable that such failures have already been described as ‘significant human error’. All results should be established solely through review and in full transparency. This is essential for the reliability of future decisions, as it applies to all clubs, and the lessons learned will be used to improve processes to ensure this type of situation does not occur again. In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for an assessment and resolution of this error.” Liverpool are therefore showing their teeth after the refereeing scandal which shook England. In any case, the message got through!
