Darren England returns after VAR fiasco as referees confirmed for next Premier League fixtures
he officials at the centre of Liverpool’s controversial disallowed goal against Tottenham are back on duty this weekend.
Darren England and Dan Cook were stood down from the last round of Premier League matches after their error during Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Liverpool on September 30.
England, who was on VAR duty for the game, and his assistant Cook incorrectly ruled out Luis Diaz’s goal for offside.
The pair will return to duties this weekend, though, with England the fourth official at Brentford’s game at home to Bournemouth on Saturday. Cook is one of the assistants later in the day when Sheffield United host Manchester United.
Cook and England had been in the spotlight after the audio from the VAR call for Diaz’s goal was released.
It revealed how confusion occurred because England thought the on-field decision was a goal as opposed to offside.
Within seconds of Spurs restarting the game with a free-kick, England was told by the relay operator, who manages the technology: “The on-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this?”
England initially replies: “Yeah”, before being told by assistant VAR, Dan Cook: “That’s wrong, that, Daz.”
The laws of the game state that once play has restarted, the VAR is unable to change a decision.
When repeatedly told by the relay operator that the on-field decision was offside and that Oli Kohout, the VAR hub operations executive in a separate room, was requesting for the game to be delayed, England replies: “They’ve restarted the game… I can’t do anything.”
Source link
