Referee Darren England banned from remaining Liverpool games after ‘worst officiating ever’
“Referee Darren England, who has plunged England’s referees into crisis, will be banned from the remainder of Liverpool’s matches this season,” the Telegraph reported on Friday.
Liverpool lost 1-2 to Tottenham Hotspur in the seventh round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, at 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 1. The loss ended the Reds’ six-match unbeaten streak.
The incident in question occurred in the 34th minute. After winning a battle with a defender, Mohamed Salah played a pass to an incoming Diaz, who connected with a right-footed shot that rattled the net, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review. Diaz’s position was deemed offside.
Diaz’s disallowed goal raised many questions. “The VAR referee and his assistant should have had a closer look, but there was no green or red line on the screen to prove Diaz was onside,” said the British newspaper The Sun.
Klopp also directly complained in his post-match interview, saying “I have never seen a game with such absurd situations and crazy decisions”.
As it turns out, Diaz’s goal was disallowed. “We acknowledge that a significant error occurred in the first half between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool,” the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said in an official statement after the game.
“Diaz’s goal was ruled offside by the on-field officials. This was a clear error and the goal should have been awarded through VAR intervention, but it was not. PGMOL will conduct a full review of the circumstances surrounding the error.” 메이저사이트
Liverpool have formally requested the PGMOL to release the recordings from the referee and VAR room. The recordings released to the media were shocking. After Diaz’s goal, the England VAR checked for offside and told the referee: “It’s checked, it’s fine, it’s perfect”. But the referee saw it as offside and played on, and the replay official said, “It’s onside. We need to stop play,” but the VAR referee said, “Play is already in progress. We can’t do anything” and play resumed. He could have stopped play and disallowed the goal, but he chose not to.
The English VAR referee will be banned from all Liverpool matches for the remainder of the season for what has been described as the ‘worst call in PL history’. However, there does not appear to be any disciplinary action such as a ban. “It is highly unlikely that the English referee will ever officiate a Liverpool game again,” the outlet reported. “He continues to have the support of the Chief Refereeing Officer, Howard Webb. For this reason, he will not be stepping down from officiating altogether.”