Mark Clattenburg explains what caused Liverpool VAR mistake and why Howard Webb will be ‘furious’

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has weighed in on the controversial decision that saw Liverpool’s goal wrongly disallowed during its 2-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. Clattenburg believes that a breakdown in communication was the main reason behind the error.

The incident occurred when Luis Díaz’s goal was ruled out for offside, despite replays showing that he was actually onside. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) later admitted that the goal should have stood.

It was revealed (as per ESPN’s Dale Johnson) that VAR incorrectly thought that a goal had been awarded on the field, leading to the disallowed goal.

Clattenburg believes that there was a basic breakdown in communication among the officials. Writing for the Daily Mail, the former referee said: “The PGMOL brought in Phil Bentham last year to improve communications between the match officials because of his background in rugby league. As a former TMO his every word was broadcast live, and Howard Webb has been striving for his Premier League officials to make their messages clear and concise.

“But there was a total breakdown in basic communication at Tottenham on Saturday. Assistant Adrian Holmes should have been shouting ‘offside, offside’ after raising his flag against Luis Díaz. Referee Simon Hooper should have been relaying that to the players, too. All this should have been picked up by their earpieces and heard by VAR Darren England and his assistant Dan Cook at Stockley Park.

“They should have been under no illusions Diaz had been flagged offside. But for whatever reason, England and Cook thought the on-field decision was onside.

“When England said ‘check complete’ to Hooper, he was mistakenly confirming not that the Diaz goal was good but that it should be disallowed. England should have expanded on his decision. Instead of ‘check complete’, he should have said: ‘I’ve checked the potential offside. It’s onside, therefore I’m awarding the goal. Check complete.’

“That way, we would not have this controversy. Webb will be furious, naturally, as will Select Group One manager Jon Moss.

“The PGMOL have spent significant money to improve how VAR is applied but we are still seeing decisions as poor as these. It is a harsh lesson for England and Cook and they will not make this mistake again.”

In addition to the communication breakdown, it was revealed that both England and Cook had officiated in the United Arab Emirates just 48 hours before the match. Clattenburg shares his own experience of refereeing a Europa League game in Russia and then returning to referee a Premier League match, noting how exhausting long international trips can be for officials. He suggests that the PGMOL should consider the impact of these trips on the performance of referees.

“It has been speculated that England and Cook’s trip to the UAE on Thursday impacted their performance and I can tell you, those long international trips take it out of you,” Clattenburg continued.

“I remember doing a Europa League game in Krasnodar, Russia, on a Thursday. I returned to referee a Premier League match at the weekend and by full time, I couldn’t remember what had happened over the last 90 minutes, I was that tired.

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Gary Neville and Liverpool rivals should be careful what they wish for
Gary Neville slammed Liverpool’s statement as the club pressed for answers from the PGMOL after VAR chaos at Tottenham

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Theo Squires
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ByTheo SquiresLiverpool FC Writer
16:46, 2 OCT 2023
Gary Neville, former English footballer, television pundit and co-owner of Salford City during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Salford City and Leeds United at Peninsula Stadium on August 29, 2023
Gary Neville, former English footballer, television pundit and co-owner of Salford City during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Salford City and Leeds United at Peninsula Stadium on August 29, 2023 (Image: Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

Talk is cheap, and Liverpool have found that out the hard way as the fallout from their controversial defeat to Tottenham continues.

On Saturday, English football was unified in its outrage over the incorrect decision to disallow Luis Diaz’s goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Clearly onside, the PGMOL would admit the error in a statement after the final whistle, explaining it as ‘significant human error’ after VAR failed to intervene.

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It would later emerge that VAR Darren England and his assistant Dan Cook were not aware that the on-field decision was to disallow the goal for offside, in what has been described as a momentary lapse of concentration, and were then unable to intervene once play had restarted due to the laws of the game.

READ MORE: ‘I seriously don’t’ – Dermot Gallagher questions Liverpool response after VAR error against Tottenham

READ MORE: Liverpool fined by FA as players could face further charge over Tottenham fallout

Inevitably, every onlooker had an opinion following this most calamitous of errors. But once Liverpool spoke out themselves in an explosive statement published on Sunday night, football tribalism resumed.

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Bemoaning ‘sporting integrity being undermined’ by such mistakes, the club declared they deemed it ‘unacceptable’ to categorise such failings as ‘significant human error’, and revealed they would ‘explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.’ This would later be followed up on Monday by making a formal request to PGMOL for the audio from their game with Tottenham.

Suddenly public opinion started to turn. Just 24 hours earlier, the officiating error was unacceptable, but now the Reds were being urged to just accept the result as many took issue with their vow to ‘explore the range of options available’, reading the vagueness of such a statement to mean that the club would want the match replayed rather than just answers and solutions.

Having been most critical of VAR on Saturday, Gary Neville’s response to Liverpool’s statement was one of the most high-profile examples of such an about-turn.

“Jurgen Klopp handled the situation well last night after the game,” the Manchester United legend wrote on social media. “Most football fans will have had empathy with what happened and recognised it was wrong!

“However Liverpool’s statement tonight is a mistake! Talk of exploring all options (what does that mean!!!) and sporting integrity are dangerous phrases along with being vague and aggressive.

“Sorry we f@@@@d up was enough!! I said this last night. Sorry should be respected and not undervalued. This is a snap reaction that can always be wrong but I feel strongly about it.”

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Clearly it is easy to vocalise outrage, but a different matter entirely when you start to actually demand action. Vive la révolution.

Not once in Liverpool’s statement was there ever any mention of wanting a replay. The same as the PGMOL never actually apologised to the Reds in their own statement admitting the error. Instead, referees chief Howard Webb contacted the club privately to say sorry for the disallowed goal alone.

Any suggestion of a replay would undermine sporting integrity as much as the officiating errors themselves. Well aware of this fact, Liverpool’s statement is not trying to change their result, but rather demand change in the game itself.

They aren’t asking for a replay. They are demanding full transparency of VAR reviews and pushing to ensure this kind of situation does not occur again. As they point out in their statement, ‘it applies to all clubs’.

The PGMOL has been forced to issue 14 corrections admitting VAR errors since February 2022, with the Reds the 10th different club to suffer. Clearly, there are widespread issues across the board that continue to affect clubs at both ends of the table.

Technology was brought in to eradicate obvious errors, not make further ones itself. An apology is not enough. It means nothing when such mistakes keep on happening week after week

Rather than sulk about being wronged on Saturday, Liverpool are looking to the future and striving for better. While they were denied just a point in the capital, how much more costly could such errors prove to be in May?

They are a club that have missed out on the Premier League title by a solitary point in the past four years after all, while Klopp has regularly pointed out how much the Reds have been stung financially by not qualifying for this season’s Champions League.

Rather than ridicule Liverpool for wanting ‘escalation and resolution’, rival fans should forget the tribalism and stand-by-side with the Reds. It was Klopp’s team that were let down by the officials on Saturday, but next time it could just as easily be any one of their 19 top-flight rivals.

It is in the interest of all Premier League sides to push for change, to protect the sporting integrity of the English top-flight. This current flawed format is failing us all.

Such errors can and will affect everyone. And they can be decisive when it comes to determining who wins the title, qualifies for the Champions League and Europe, along with Premier League safety and relegation. The stakes have never been higher.

Liverpool wants and expects better from football’s officials and law-makers with Saturday just a mistake too far. The trust has long since been broken and the beautiful game is bleeding as a result. Those now outraged with the club are missing the point.

The Reds’ voice has been heard and they speak in the interest of all clubs. What they are asking for is nothing more than what should already be in place.

READ NEXT:

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“I know other officials who have felt the same. The PGMOL need to be mindful of that when sanctioning these trips.”

You may notice the below message on a small number of Liverpool.com articles. We like to innovate and this is part of a trial to look at whether AI can help speed up the publishing process. We will always declare where this happens.

This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, based on a piece first written by Connor O’Neill for the Liverpool ECHO. You can read the original piece by clicking here. A Liverpool.com news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to matt.addison@reachplc.com.