Liverpool's Luis Dias
In the wake of the offside video assistant referee (VAR) blunder in the English Premier League (EPL) match between Liverpool and Tottenham, the head of the EPL's refereeing body has vowed to improve communication between officials during the VAR process.
Howard Webb, chairman of the Professional Game Management Organization of the United Kingdom (PGMOL), said there were shortcomings in the VAR process and that the PGMOL has since taken action, including the introduction of new VAR communication guidelines, according to Sky Sports.
"In order to prevent similar incidents to this one, we have once again felt the need to strengthen our communication protocols," Webb said, "and have made it clear that when confirming on-field decisions with VARs, the context of the situation must be mentioned."
After a miscommunication between the VAR and the referee in the Liverpool-Tottenham game, where the VAR's words "confirmed" led to a miscommunication between the VAR and the referee, VARs will now be required to clearly describe their video review to the referee and explain the context of their decision.
"We explained to everyone involved why the VAR process needs to be looked at very closely," said Webb. "Human error can happen anywhere, but it shouldn't be allowed to happen. "Human error can happen anywhere, but we need to prevent it from being damaging." He added, "We've been thinking about what we can do to put in place communication safeguards to prevent VAR errors.
He also hinted that the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which governs the rules of soccer, could soon tinker with VAR regulations.
"Even before the blown call, the IFAB was looking to review the Laws of the Game regarding the use of VARs," Webb said, "and the EPL's recent experience could be instructive for the IFAB as they look to make changes to the VAR rules."
Luis Dias stretches his legs
In the seventh round of the 2023-2024 EPL against Tottenham, Liverpool scored in the 34th minute when Luis Dias latched onto Muhammad Salah's penetrating pass to score, but the assistant referee raised the offside flag.
Immediately after the goal, the VAR assistant referee drew a line from the time the ball left Salah's foot to the position of the Tottenham defense to check for offside, and Dias was perfectly onside.
However, the VAR referee mistakenly believed that Dias' goal had been awarded in the initial decision and told the referee, "It's confirmed. It's clear."
Upon hearing this, the referee decided that the initial offside call on Dias was correct, so the goal was disallowed and play resumed with a Tottenham free kick.
The VAR referee later realized his mistake and shouted several times that the assistant referee should stop the game, but things got out of hand when Son Heung-min (Tottenham) scored moments later.
Liverpool lost the match 1-2 and were unable to add to their points tally.
After the game, PGMOL released the audio recording, stating that the blown call was "the result of a lapse and loss of concentration" and a "systemic weakness in the VAR process." 카지노사이트존