The blunder involving referees Darren England and Dan Cook has led to their exclusion from the upcoming round of Premier League matches.
In the previous week, Cook and England found themselves at the heart of a VAR controversy when they failed to overturn Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal for Liverpool against Tottenham. Diaz believed he had given Liverpool the lead in a match in north London, but the offside flag was raised.
Despite video replays confirming that Diaz was actually onside, the VAR duo chose not to reverse the decision. The PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) later acknowledged a “clear and obvious error” and attributed it to “significant human error,” placing the responsibility squarely on England and Cook.
However, Liverpool was not satisfied with this response and issued a statement pledging to “explore various options to address the evident need for escalation and resolution.” While the specific actions they intend to take are unclear, the PGMOL acted swiftly by not assigning the two referees any Premier League matches for the upcoming weekend.
This decision followed the PGMOL’s earlier choice to remove England and Cook from their previously scheduled assignments last weekend, which included matches between Nottingham Forest and Brentford, as well as Fulham and Chelsea.
Additionally, it is expected that the PGMOL will release the audio recordings of the VAR conversations that transpired during the controversial incident. While initial reports indicated division within the PGMOL regarding the release of this audio, they are now leaning towards making the exchange public.
In a statement released immediately after the initial error, the PGMOL acknowledged the “significant human error” during the first half of the Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool match.
They noted that Luis Diaz’s goal was disallowed due to offside by the on-field match officials, which was a clear and obvious factual error that should have been corrected through VAR intervention. The PGMOL committed to conducting a comprehensive review of the circumstances leading to this error.