Liverpool slam refereeing body over VAR error that disallowed Diaz goal

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

Liverpool slammed the refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) on Sunday over a “significant human error” in Tottenham’s win over Liverpool in a Premier League match the previous day.

The English Premier League club published an official statement after PGMOL’s admission that a goal by Luis Diaz was incorrectly ruled out for being offside by the video assistant referee (VAR).

"Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their failures last night. It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined," the statement said.

"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. It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.

"That such failings have already been categorized as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency," the Merseyside club's statement added.

The Reds also promised to explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.

Tottenham won the match 2-1 and Liverpool finished with nine players.

The PGMOL later admitted there was "a significant human error" in the decision.