Liverpool Fans Gain Access to VAR Discussions from Saturday’s Match Against Tottenham

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has made public the audio recordings of VAR discussions during Liverpool’s recent game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Jurgen Klopp’s team experienced their first defeat of the season at the hands of Tottenham, with Joel Matip inadvertently scoring an own goal in stoppage time, resulting in a 2-1 victory for Ange Postecoglou’s side. This match, however, was marred by a series of contentious decisions made by the match officials, leaving Liverpool supporters frustrated.

One of the most controversial decisions occurred in the first half when Luis Diaz had a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside. The PGMOL swiftly acknowledged that a “significant human error” had taken place in this instance. It was revealed that Darren England, the VAR official at Stockley Park, misinterpreted the on-field decision, believing that a goal had been awarded when it had not. As a result, despite realizing that Diaz was onside, he relayed a message of ‘check complete,’ leading to the disallowance of the goal.

In response to the PGMOL’s acknowledgment of the error, Liverpool released a statement accusing the PGMOL of undermining the integrity of the sport. PGMOL Chief Howard Webb reached out to Liverpool to offer an apology for the disallowed goal after the final whistle, and a review of the incident is now underway.

Now, the PGMOL has made the audio recordings of the conversations that occurred among the officials before, during, and after the controversial decision available to the public.

The whole conversation below:

Assistant referee 1: “All good. Both holding. Both holding”

Referee: “Yeah, leave it alone.”

Assistant referee 1: “Waiting. Delaying, delaying.”

VAR: “Possible offside, Diaz.”

Assistant referee 2: “Give it.”

Assistant referee1: “Coming back for the offside, mate.”

VAR: “Just checking the offside. Delay, delay.”

VAR: “Give the 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 from frame two after that.”

Replay operator: “So frame two there?”

VAR: “That’s fine. Perfect, yeah. 2D line on the 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. So 2D line on the boot.”

VAR: “And stop. Check complete, check complete. That’s fine, perfect.”

Assistant referee 1: “Playing.”

Referee: “Cheers mate.”

VAR: “Thank you mate.”

Referee: “Well done boys, good process.”

Replay operator: “Wait, wait, wait, wait. The on-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this?”

Assistant VAR: “Yeah.”

Replay operator: “Are you happy with this?”

Assistant VAR: “Offside, goal, yeah. That’s wrong that, Daz.”

VAR: “What?”

Replay operator: “On-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this image? Yeah, it is onside. The image that we gave them is onside.”

Assistant VAR: “He’s playing him, he’s gone offside.

VAR: “Oh (expletive)”

Replay operator: “Delay, delay. Oli (PGMOL Hub Ops) 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 started the game. Can’t do anything, can’t do anything.”

Assistant VAR: “Yeah they’ve restated. Yeah. No.”

VAR: “I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything. (Expletive).”