Liverpool’s impressive unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end on Saturday as they suffered a controversial defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite facing two red cards, Liverpool nearly salvaged a point, but a devastating 96th-minute Joel Matip own goal shattered their valiant efforts.
The game’s most contentious moment arose when Diaz had his first-half goal disallowed for offside, casting doubt on the decision’s validity. Shortly after the game, the PGMOL issued an apology, attributing the error to “human error,” and acknowledging the VAR officials’ confusion regarding the on-field decision.
In response, Liverpool has formally requested access to the raw audio files containing communication between the referee and VAR official during the decision-making process.
The club expressed its discontent with the PGMOL’s acknowledgment of the error, stating that the correct application of the game’s laws was compromised, affecting sporting integrity.
While Liverpool acknowledges the challenging conditions match officials work under, they believe these challenges should be mitigated, not exacerbated, by VAR. The club criticized the inadequate time provided for the correct decision and the lack of subsequent intervention.
Liverpool deems the characterization of the incident as a “significant human error” unacceptable and emphasizes the need for complete transparency and review of all outcomes.
They stress the importance of establishing a reliable decision-making process and implementing improvements to prevent such situations in the future, asserting that these lessons must benefit all clubs.
Liverpool plans to explore various options to address the issue and seek resolution, emphasizing the necessity of escalation to ensure fairness and clarity in decision-making moving forward.
