The referees’ body, the PGMOL, have released the full audio clip of the communication between the on-field officials and the VARs that led to Luis Diaz’s legitimate goal for Liverpool being wrongly disallowed against Tottenham.
Referee Simon Hooper restarted play with Diaz wrongly adjudged to have been played offside by Cristian Romero. The match was goalless at the time, but Liverpool ended up losing 2-1.
A communication breakdown between Hooper, VAR Darren England and assistant VAR Dan Cook saw the goal wrongly disallowed.
England and Cook have since been taken off Premier League duty this weekend.
Furious Liverpool released a statement on Sunday evening saying they would “explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”
Here is the full transcript from the audio released by the PGMOL on Tuesday...
Assistant Referee 1: All good. Both holding. Both holding.
Referee [Simon Hooper]: Yeah, leave it alone.
Assistant Referee 1: Waiting. Delaying, delaying.
VAR [Darren England]: Possible offside: Diaz.
Assistant Referee 2: Give it.
Assistant Referee 1: Coming back for the offside, mate.
VAR: Just checking the offside. Delay, delay.
VAR: Give a kick point, let’s go. Kick point please?
Referee: Yeah, no worries mate.
Replay operator: So, here we are.
Referee: Wait.
Replay Operator: Just get a tight angle.
VAR: Yeah, give me 2D line ready after this one for frame two after that.
Replay Operator: So, frame two there?
VAR: That’s fine.
VAR: Perfect, yeah.
VAR: 2D line on left boot.
Replay Operator: Let me just switch angles.
VAR: Romero, I think it is?
Replay Operator: I think it might be this angle better? Happy with this angle?
VAR: Yep.
Replay Operator: 2D line on the boot?
VAR: 2D line on the boot.
Replay Operator: Yep, okay.
(The lines are placed on the foot of Spurs’ deepest defender, Cristian Romero).
Replay Operator: So, 2D line on the boot.
VAR: And stop.
VAR: Check complete, check complete. That’s fine, perfect.
(The referee blows his whistle and signals offside. Game restarts).
Assistant Referee 1: Playing.
Referee: Cheers mate.
Referee: Well done boys, good process.
Replay Operator: Wait, wait, wait, wait. The on-field decision was offside.
Replay Operator: Are you happy with this?
Assistant VAR [Dan Cook]: Yeah.
Replay Operator: Are you happy with this?
Assistant VAR: Offside, goal, yeah.
Assistant VAR: That’s wrong, that, Daz.
VAR: What?
Replay Operator: On-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this image?
Replay Operator: Yeah, it’s onside. The image that we gave them is onside.
(Audible sigh)
Assistant VAR: He’s played him, he’s gone offside.
VAR: Oh, [*expletive*].
Replay Operator: Delay, delay.
Replay Operator: Oli’s [PGMOL Hub Operations] saying to delay. Oli’s saying to delay.
VAR: Pardon?
Replay Operator: Oli’s calling in to say delay the game. The decision is onside.
VAR: Can’t do anything.
Replay Operator: Oli’s saying to delay, Oli’s saying to delay.
VAR: Oli?
Fourth Official: Yeah?
Replay Operator: Delay the game, to delay the game? Stop the game.
VAR: They’ve restarted the game.
VAR: Can’t do anything, can’t do anything.
Assistant VAR: Yeah, they’ve restarted. Yeah.
VAR: Can’t do anything.
Assistant VAR: No.
VAR: I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything.
VAR: [*Expletive*].
