Referees’ chiefs are set to release the audio of the bungled VAR call that cost Liverpool a goal at Tottenham on Saturday.
Luis Diaz had his strike disallowed for offside but VAR Darren England and assistant Dan Cook mistakenly thought the on-field decision was onside, so did not correct the blunder.
Liverpool heaped pressure on referees’ body PGMOL yesterday by demanding a copy of the tape and now they are expected to be granted their wish.
Mail Sport can reveal that senior figures at PGMOL were split over whether the audio should be made public. They are now leaning towards a release of the full exchange, although talks will be held today over when to release it because a review is ongoing into Saturday’s incident.
PGMOL are also looking into their policy on referees working abroad, with England and Cook having officiated a match in the UAE 48 hours before the gaffe.
Luis Diaz ’s disallowed goal at Tottenham has sparked a split at the top of the referees’ group Mail Sport can reveal
Diaz looked to have put Liverpool ahead, but the goal was controversially ruled out
The club have not expanded on the ‘options’ they referred to.
The audio has not been released to the public following internal discussions, though it is expected to be included in the next Match Officials Mic’d Up episode hosted by Howard Webb, the date of which has not yet been set.
The PGMOL are now investigating Saturday’s incident and are also reviewing their policy of allowing referees to take international assignments in between Premier League matches.
England and Cook were part of an officiating team for a match in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday night, completing their 16-hour round trip on Friday before their blunder in London on Saturday.
Referees are under pressure from Premier League clubs to halt these extracurricular gigs, with Michael Oliver having also overseen Al Hilal versus Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia in April.
Craig Pawson refereed Panathinaikos against PAOK in the Greek Super League in May, while Andy Madley took charge of two Japanese J1 League matches in June.
One club source yesterday said these trips are undermining the Premier League, adding it is not only Liverpool who disapprove of them.
It is understood referees can command in the region of £2,500 for these one-off assignments. Each trip requires the approval of the FA and they tend to be sanctioned, so long as it does not disrupt the officials’ availability for Premier League matches.
Liverpool have sent a formal request for the audio of the conversation between Hooper and VAR Darren England and his assistant Dan Cook.
Hooper was advised by VAR, but it has since emerged England and Cook were part of an officiating team in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday night
The audio between referees and VARs is not currently permitted to be broadcast live, as per the rules of IFAB, football’s lawmakers However, Premier League commentators can hear the conversations while covering fixtures inside stadiums and those who listened in on Saturday have dismissed the fan-led talk of ‘corruption’.
It transpired that England mistakenly thought Diaz’s goal had been given on the field of play and so when he told Hooper ‘check complete’, he thought he was confirming that the winger was onside.
Once Tottenham restarted play with their free-kick, Hooper was unable to correct the call by awarding Liverpool their opener. The PGMOL were contacted for comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are set to appeal against the red card and subsequent three-match ban given to midfielder Curtis Jones during the Spurs defeat.
The Reds star, 22, was shown a straight red card for a foul on Yves Bissouma that was initially punished with a yellow. But Hooper upgraded it to a sending off for serious foul play after consulting the pitch-side monitor.
Many fans feel aggrieved by the still image Hooper was greeted with which made the incident look worse than it was by showing Jones’s studs on Bissouma’s shin.
The tackle was mistimed but Liverpool will argue it was not reckless.
The Reds have been fined £25,000 for misconduct, a punishment triggered if a team receives six or more yellow cards in a game — two of which were shown to Diogo Jota.
Liverpool have now had four red cards this season — more than double any other team — but one of the previous ones, Alexis Mac Allister’s against Bournemouth, was overturned upon appeal.
Liverpool are hoping to have Curtis Jones’ red card rescinded by the Premier League
Mac Allister wrote on Instagram that Tottenham had ‘12 men’ — hinting the officials were on Spurs’ side. Opposition defender Cristian Romero then replied, telling his Argentina team-mate to ‘go cry at home’.
Whether the Liverpool midfielder was joking or not, it could leave him in hot water with the FA.
Rule E3 states punishment can occur for comments about referees which ‘imply bias or attack the officials’ integrity’.
Klopp will be short of options up front for Sunday’s game at Brighton, with Jota banned and Cody Gakpo set to miss at least the next two matches with a knee injury.
