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Premier League will reject Liverpool replay request as sports lawyer weighs in

The Premier League will resist calls from Jurgen Klopp to replay Liverpool‘s controversial defeat by Tottenham.

Liverpool were this morning yet to make a formal approach to the Premier League but Klopp believes a replay is the “right thing” to do.

A sports lawyer has told Standard Sport that Liverpool face an “uphill battle” to legally claim they have grounds for a replay. But Jonathan Bamber, Liverpool’s general counsel and director of football administration and governance, has been exploring the club’s options.

Klopp believes the result of the match, which Spurs won 2-1, should be declared void after VAR failed to award a legitimate Luis Diaz goal wrongly flagged offside.

The Premier League would reject any request for a replay on the grounds of the precedent it would set. Replays were ruled out after other errors that cost teams points in the past, such as when Sheffield United were denied a goal against Aston Villa in 2020 when goalline technology failed to function.

Under Premier League regulations, the only possible recourse is to escalate the matter via a Premier League arbitration process. Liverpool’s options are limited by the Premier League not recognising the Court of Arbitration for Sport, meaning the club can only elevate any case to law courts in London.

IFAB, the international lawmakers, state a match is not invalidated because of VAR mistakes.

Mohit Pasricha, of law firm Lawrence Stephens, told Standard Sport: “Liverpool are ultimately facing an uphill battle to succeed in any legal claim. Any case would need to establish whether human error directly affected the outcome of the game, which is not evident, or potentially Liverpool’s final position at the end of the season, which can’t be determined now.

“Allowing a successful claim based on human error could set a dangerous precedent, potentially opening the floodgates for other clubs to make similar challenges, making it highly improbable for any such claim to prevail.”