A review of how VAR is used in the English game is under way after miscommunication between officials led to a Liverpool goal being wrongly disallowed on Saturday.
Here, the PA news agency provides an update on where we are.
What happened?
On-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistants flagged Luis Diaz offside after he fired in what would have been the opening goal in the Reds’ Premier League match at Tottenham on Saturday.
Crucially, VAR Darren England thought the on-field decision had been onside. So although he followed the correct procedure in drawing lines and identifying that Diaz was onside, by telling the on-field officials “check complete” they thought their decision to give offside had been upheld by the check.
Only in the seconds which followed did the VAR operators realise their error, by which time play had restarted. Current protocols do not permit a decision to be revisited once that has happened.
How did Liverpool react?
The club issued a statement on Sunday night saying that sporting integrity had been undermined by the error and that they would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”. The club requested – and were sent – the audio of the incident before it was released publicly on Tuesday evening.
What happens next?
The first thing to say is that Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) admitted on Saturday evening that a “significant error” had occurred. As well as standing down England and the assistant VAR Daniel Cook for duties on Sunday and Monday, plus the weekend to come, it has identified some “key learnings” from the incident.
These include the development of a new communications protocol to enhance clarity between referees and VARs. Phil Bentham has been brought into PGMOL from rugby league to improve communication between officials and will no doubt be key to this work.
VARs will now also confirm the outcome of their check with their assistants in the booth, before relaying the final decision to on-field officials.
PGMOL and the Football Association will also review the policy allowing officials to be involved in domestic league matches overseas, after England and Cook were part of a team which oversaw a game in the United Arab Emirates last Thursday, arriving back in the UK on Friday morning.
What has the Premier League said?
The league issued a statement saying that the Diaz incident highlighted “systemic weaknesses” in the VAR process and said a wider review to seek consistently-higher standards would now take place.
Besides improving communication between officials, what else could change?
The incident has led to renewed calls from fans and pundits to allow the conversations between VARs and referees to be broadcast live. Eighty per cent of fans supported this being introduced in a Football Supporters’ Association survey published in the summer and the boss of TNT Sports – one of the league’s key broadcast partners – said in July it was a “huge missed opportunity” not to have such a system in place.
While the Premier League has never publicly given its view on live audio, it was part of a World Leagues Forum poll published in June which found 25 out of the 41 leagues surveyed supported its introduction.
Crucially though, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which sets the game’s laws, is understood not to have received any requests so far in the current cycle to trial a live audio system.
What about in-stadium announcements like we had at the Women’s World Cup?
To date this has been a FIFA-only trial, but IFAB is prepared to open it up to allow other competitions to take part. However, the announcements are limited to decisions where an on-field review is conducted by a referee at a pitchside monitor. Offside decisions such as the Diaz incident are not checked in this way.
What about semi-automated offside?
This is in operation in a number of major competitions, having first been trialled at the men’s World Cup in Qatar. However, the Premier League has so far opted not to introduce it. It can also be argued that it would not have helped in a situation like Diaz – the existing technology was used to identify that Diaz was onside, the mistake was human error, pure and simple.
KSAFA implements zero-tolerance policy for referee assaults
The Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) has announced a strong new measure to protect referees, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for physical assault against match officials. The decision, taken at a recent KSAFA Council meeting, introduces Article 55 - 3.2, a competition rule stating that “Any player who physically assaults a referee during a match will be automatically suspended for the remainder of the competition that they participate in.”
This newly instituted rule marks a decisive step by KSAFA to eliminate violence against referees and foster a safer, more respectful environment within football competitions. The rule imposes an immediate suspension on any player found to have assaulted a referee, and the suspension will remain in place for the entire season without the possibility of appeal.
In light of recent incidents highlighting the vulnerability of referees to mistreatment and physical attacks, including the withdrawal of services by match officials in the ISSA Schoolboy Football competition after attacks and delays in security response, KSAFA’s action signals a commitment to serious reform. Following a recent match where officials were physically assaulted, referees called for heightened protections and better working conditions, resulting in a temporary halt to several scheduled matches.
KSAFA President Mark Bennett stressed the importance of protecting referees, stating, “Referees are the backbone of our sport. Their safety and dignity must be respected. This rule demonstrates our commitment to creating a secure environment for all.”
To ensure effective enforcement, KSAFA will work alongside referees, clubs, and law enforcement agencies to investigate incidents and apply sanctions as swiftly as possible. This collaborative approach aims to instill a culture of respect for referees, reinforcing KSAFA’s stance that violence in football will not be tolerated.
Australia 0-0 Saudi Arabia: Visitors denied last-gasp winner on Renard's return
Saudi Arabia had a stoppage-time goal ruled out as Herve Renard's first game since returning as Saudi Arabia head coach ended in a 0-0 draw against Australia in World Cup qualifying.
Sultan Al-Ghannam fired through a sea of bodies in the 94th minute of Thursday's Group C contest at AAMI Park, but the celebrations were cut short due to an offside infringement.
Referee Ali Saeed Al Naqbi had earlier irked the home side by awarding a 12th-minute penalty for an Ahmed Al-Kassar challenge on Mitch Duke, which was then overturned.
Replays showed the incident happened just outside the box, but Australia felt the Saudi keeper should have been sent off and not issued just a yellow card.
Joe Gauci pulled off a fine double save later in the first half, albeit the offside flag later went up, but it was Australia who did more to win the game prior to the late drama.
Brandon Borrello was played clean through on goal and opted to square to Riley McGree, who was unable to help the ball past covering defender Saud Abdulhamid in front of goal.
Data Debrief: Another blank for both sides
Australia entered this game without a goal against Saudi Arabia in 2,716 days - a run that will extend for a little while longer after this latest blank.
The Socceroos have failed to score in three of their five third-round qualifying games, while Saudi Arabia have gone three in a row without netting.
Tony Popovic's side will justifiably argue they did more to win the game, though, finishing with an expected goals value (xG) of 1.31 to Saudi Arabia's 0.05, but the teams remain locked on points in Group C.
Bompastor unhappy with Chelsea performance despite maintaining 100% record
Sonia Bompastor was not happy with Chelsea's performance in their 2-1 away victory against Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday, despite it extending her 100% record since joining the club.
The visitors had to fight back from a goal down after conceding a Murphy Agnew opener on 22 minutes but had turned things around 10 minutes later. Aggie Beever-Jones, meanwhile, was sent off in second-half stoppage time for two bookable offences.
While Bompastor was not impressed by her own side, she was quick to give credit to their opposition.
"I knew it would be a tough game for us, especially because of the Celtic mentality. They showed a lot of heart, and they played with a lot of energy. We were expecting that they were going to be really motivated," she said.
Chelsea came into this game without Millie Bright, Mayra Ramirez, Sjoeke Nusken and Kadeisha Buchanan, with Bompastor deciding to leave them out of the squad. It was a decision that resulted in some rustiness among the starters, according to the manager.
"I decided to rotate my squad, so sometimes it can happen that the players don't get the same chemistry together. But I wanted to have a better impression from my team. I'm really happy with the three points and the victory, but not really happy with the performance. We were not efficient enough tonight," she said.
"Every game is always an opportunity to learn. Tonight I learned a lot and I will share that with my players as a team, but also as individuals."
Following their Champions League victory, Chelsea face WSL leaders Manchester City at the weekend, with their opposition having dropped just two points in their opening seven league games.
Having given some fringe players a run out in Scotland, Bompastor was pleased at the prospect of a fresher squad going into such a big game.
"There are some positives. With our squad, we are still able to rotate players and rest some. We have the three points and the victory, so we stay in the good dynamic for that, but in terms of the performance, we needed to do a better job in different aspects," she added.
"As a manager, I always have different plans for the game and the three substitutions were planned. That's the positive. We are just now moving on and going into the Manchester City game exactly with the plans we wanted to have."
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