Football’s equivalent of the Watergate Tapes’ – How National media reacted to audio release of Liverpool VAR error Load mobile navigation

Football’s equivalent of the Watergate Tapes’ – How National media reacted to audio release of Liverpool VAR error
Load mobile navigation

‘Football’s equivalent of the Watergate Tapes’ – How National media reacted to audio release of Liverpool VAR error
The national media have reacted to PGMOL releasing the audio footage of the VAR discussions that caused controversy during Liverpool’s loss to Tottenham Hotspur

SHARE
ByJames QuinlanSport Trends Writer
Bookmark

Luis Diaz of Liverpool reacts during the defeat at Spurs

PGMOL granted Liverpool’s request by sending the club the audio footage of officials’ communication processes that led to Luis Diaz’s goal being wrongfully disallowed against Tottenham Hotspur.

And not only that, the audio was let loose in the public domain by the refereeing body just hours later. In line with their post-match statement it came down a ‘significant human error’ on VAR Darren England and his assistant Dan Cook’s part in misjudging the on-field offside decision.

Once play had restarted through a Tottenham free-kick they felt nothing could be done to reverse the call without severely breaking Premier League protocol, and so the match was allowed to continue. It was a costly mistake as the Reds ultimately lost and days of chaos ensued.

Here is how the national media reacted to PGMOL’s release of the audio files, their contents and if the correct call was made to wave play-on as confirmation of the club’s stance and plan of action is awaited:

READ MORE: Jamie Carragher names ‘only positive’ from Liverpool VAR controversy in brutal verdict of released audio

READ MORE: Liverpool controversy at Tottenham has given Jurgen Klopp another unwelcome problem

“Another strand to the mess”

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett for the Telegraph wrote: “It was remarkable to listen to the audio release of the Var conversations that took place during Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham on Saturday. The staggering incompetence was laid bare for everyone to see and hear – it’s a terrible look for everyone involved, not least the PGMOL and Darren England, the Var at the centre of the controversy.

“I can guarantee to you that if this conversation was played over the tannoy systems around Premier League grounds across the country, this type of mistake would never be made again. There would have been riots had fans heard what was going on at Tottenham’s stadium. If officials knew that their conversations would be made public, live, then that would focus the minds completely and you can be sure no errors like this would be made.

“It comes down to protocol, once again. It is clear that there is no protocol in place for dealing with these types of situations – something as simple as a tick box system should be used to ensure people know what they’re looking for, or at.

“I was staggered by the level of communication on show in the short clip released on Tuesday night. There was no joined-up thinking, clarity of thought or any sort of collaborative approach. It appeared people were passing the buck until it all dawned on them what happened, and how they could not – or did not want to – rectify it.

“England clearly is applying the laws of the game here, but that is just the wrong thing to do in this instance. There is the laws of the game and then there is context, the spirit of the game, and doing the right thing. The right thing would be to resolve the situation and correct this most basic of errors. Blindingly claiming you cannot do anything because the laws said so is another strand to the mess.”

“A modern-day cock-up”

Oliver Holt for the Daily Mail wrote: “English football’s equivalent of the Watergate Tapes and the Zapruder film rolled into one was pored over by fans and analysts, looking for clues, searching for a smoking gun and wondering if there was another official somewhere on a grassy knoll.

“If someone wants to cry conspiracy badly enough, nothing is going to stop them but the recording of the exchanges between on-field referee Simon Hooper and video assistant referee Darren England sounded far more like a modern-day cock-up.

“There was no smoking gun, no evidence of conspiracy, no sign of subterfuge, just officials talking at crossed purposes until the game restarted and England suddenly came to the panicked realisation that he had made an awful mistake. It was old-fashioned human error. Human error on a monumental scale.

“Out of the mess at least a few advances have been made. Liverpool were right to ask for audio of the exchanges in the VAR room. Some have criticised them for that but surely greater transparency is part of the way forward here. Liverpool did what any other club would have done in the face of such an egregious error.

“And from the ashes of this particular conflagration, the PGMOL have made a step forward, too. They did the right thing by releasing the audio. They didn’t heap any more shame on England or his colleagues and they shone some light on how the error happened and how fast the officials have to act.

“I still believe they should have stopped the game when England realised the calamity that had unfolded.”
It’s most definitely not healthy”

Nick Miller for the Athletic wrote: “It wasn’t a debatable decision that was being discussed. As was made clear when the PGMOL released audio of what happened, the VAR had momentarily forgotten what decision he was checking and a pretty serious error had been made. But while it’s instinctive, it’s most definitely not healthy, in a few different ways.

“Referees should be doing their jobs better. Genuine mistakes should be tolerated, but massive incompetence like not realising what decision you’re actually checking should not.

“Officials should not be moonlighting in countries where the leagues are essentially owned by the same people who control Premier League football clubs. VAR should be made fit for purpose, in whatever form that takes. There should be greater communication between clubs and officials. There should be some form of transparency about decision-making. All of these things are true.”