Unveiling the Unheard: The Complete Transcript of PGMOL’s Audio Revealing Luis Diaz’s Offside Blunder Against Spurs
The Premier League is still buzzing with the aftermath of a highly controversial moment during the clash between Liverpool and Spurs, which saw Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal become a center of attention. The PGMOL, responsible for overseeing referees in the Premier League, made a shocking admission on Sunday evening, acknowledging a “significant” human error that had a major impact on the game.
Diaz’s goal, scored in the 34th minute, was wrongly disallowed for offside. PGMOL labeled this error as a “clear and obvious factual mistake” that should have been rectified through VAR intervention, but, unfortunately, VAR failed to step in when needed. Liverpool, understandably irate with this decision, found PGMOL’s explanation to be “unacceptable” and expressed their intent to explore various available options.
In response to Liverpool’s demand, the club formally requested the release of the VAR audio from the game. On Tuesday evening, the audio was finally made public, along with a statement from PGMOL, in which they admitted their standards “fell short of expectations.”
In the audio transcript, the on-field officials and VAR team can be heard discussing the controversial decision. Initially, the linesman and VAR check for offside, leading to a delay in the game. They analyze the footage closely, focusing on Romero, but it becomes apparent that the on-field decision of offside might be incorrect.
However, as the realization dawns on them that the call was erroneous, it’s too late to rectify the situation. Despite the assistant VAR’s plea to delay the game, the match has already restarted. It’s a moment of sheer frustration, and the VAR team is left powerless to correct their mistake.
PGMOL, in light of this incident, issued a comprehensive statement that included both video footage and audio of the controversial decision. They conceded their shortfall in standards and promptly acknowledged the error to Liverpool. PGMOL then shared a detailed report, which contained key lessons learned and immediate actions taken, along with the audio exchanges between the officials and the VAR team, with the Premier League and all other Premier League clubs.
The review of the decision-making process identified several key learnings to prevent such errors in the future:
- Emphasizing the need for efficiency without compromising accuracy.
- Developing a new VAR Communication Protocol to enhance communication between referees and VAR teams.
- Implementing a process where VAR confirms the outcome of the check with the AVAR before informing the on-field officials.
PGMOL’s commitment to improving VAR performance includes a new training program that began in the current season, focusing on refining processes and best practices for all VARs, AVARs, and Replay Operators in their specific roles. Additionally, work is ongoing to establish a specialized pool of VAR specialists.
As a direct consequence of this high-profile error, the VAR and AVAR responsible for the controversial decision have been removed from their remaining fixtures in Match Round 7 of the Premier League and have not been included in the appointments for Match Round 8. PGMOL and The FA have also agreed to review the policy regarding match officials officiating matches outside of FIFA or UEFA appointments, suggesting a thorough reconsideration of current practices.