In Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham last month, Luis Diaz’s goal was incorrectly overturned, and PGMOL chief Howard Webb has revealed plans to make sure a mistake like that never occurs again. In response to the controversy surrounding Liverpool’s incorrectly overturned goal in their loss to Tottenham, Howard Webb has revealed changes to the way VAR is used in the Premier League.
The assistant referee disallowed Luis Diaz’s goal for offside, but VAR’s review of the goal revealed that he was actually onside. However, due to a miscommunication, VAR Darren England incorrectly informed the on-field official Simon Hooper that the initial decision should stand when he actually needed to overturn it. And according to Webb, the PGMOL has “taken many steps to ensure this error doesn’t happen again.”.
We know that human error can occur in all facets of life, but we need to put safeguards in place to make sure it doesn’t have a major impact like this, according to Webb, who was speaking on Match Officials Mic’d Up. “This brought to light the necessity of restating the really helpful communication protocols. We want the on-field officials to communicate the decision to the VAR in a clear manner so that the VAR can confirm it was properly communicated to the referee.
Before communicating with the field to announce their intended decision, the VAR goes through the process of checking their decision and speaking to the assistant VAR. Then, rather than merely saying “check complete,” say “check complete, decision offside,” which may serve as another trigger. “Many measures have been taken to ensure that this mistake won’t occur again.
When asked why the VAR officials did not stop the game as soon as they realized their error, Webb responded that the laws prevent them from doing so but that IFAB is “doing a full review of the laws of the game in relation to VAR.”. “I understand why people would ask that question, and in fact the VAR and the AVAR ask themselves that question too,” he said in response. I estimate that twenty seconds passed before it finally hit them what had happened.
