Luis Diaz Reveals Impact of “Complicated” VAR Error on Himself and Liverpool Stars
In a recent interview with Colombian outlet El Heraldo, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz spoke out for the first time about the VAR blunder that saw his goal against Tottenham wrongly disallowed and the subsequent impact it had on him and his teammates.
The controversial incident occurred last month when Diaz found the back of the net but was flagged for offside. Despite VAR confirming that he was onside, the on-field decision was not overturned by referees Darren England and Dan Cook. This incident played a pivotal role in Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham, a match in which they also had two players, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota, sent off.
Diaz admitted, “The goal issue was a bit complicated, and it hit me very hard, not only me but all my teammates. During the game, we discussed it a lot, and it felt like a positive result was taken away from us. These things happen; referees are human. You have to take it easy and move on to the next game.”
PGMOL chief Howard Webb is set to address the incident in the upcoming episode of ‘Match Officials: Mic’ed Up,’ which will air on Sky Sports and TNT Sports. The PGMOL had issued an immediate apology for the mistake, categorizing it as a “significant human error.” However, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remained unsatisfied, advocating for a replay of the match.
Klopp emphasized, “The audio didn’t change it at all because I was not really interested in why things happen. I saw the outcome, I saw a goal, and I saw it didn’t count. It’s really important that we deal with it properly. The only fair outcome should be a replay, but that probably won’t happen. This situation is unprecedented. I’m 56 years old, and I’m used to wrong decisions, but something like this, as far as I can remember, has never happened. That’s why it should be a replay.”
He went on to propose an alternative solution, saying, “I think a replay would be the right thing, or the ref has the opportunity to bring both coaches together and say, ‘We made a mistake; let Liverpool score a goal, and we start from there.’ What makes this game so special is that we conceded two minutes after, and how all things depend on each other. If we had scored, we would have started the game differently.”
As the football world continues to discuss the controversial incident, it remains to be seen how the authorities will address this unique situation.