Ange Postecoglou, the head coach of Tottenham, claims that criticizing VAR Darren England for the error that lost Liverpool the opening goal in their defeat in north London last Saturday would be a “dereliction” of duty.
After mistakenly assuming the goal had been granted by the on-field officials, Luis Diaz’s strike was wrongfully labeled offside, and video assistant referee England was unable to reverse the decision on review.
Jurgen Klopp, the head coach of Liverpool, has demanded a rematch after his team lost 2-1.
England has been relieved of its Premier League responsibilities and will allegedly not referee any Liverpool games for the balance of the season.
The PGMOL, the organization that represents referees, has thoroughly reviewed the situation and has subsequently declared that it will enhance coordination between on-field officials and VARs.
Postecoglou asserts that mistakes by officials, like those by players and coaches, are inevitable and that the protocols, rather than England, are to blame for the blunder.
According to Postecoglou, referees occasionally make mistakes in the same manner that coaches and players do.
“When I heard that tape, it was clear that someone believed that was a good approach to wrap up things, and it has worked up until this point.
“I would have assumed that stating ‘goal for Liverpool’ would be the obvious thing to do, and there wouldn’t be anything [wrong], but I’m saying that in ignorance because I don’t know how it’s actually set up. You undoubtedly think after hearing that that there are more effective ways to convey a clear judgment in such a serious circumstance.
“I hope that’s what they’re talking about, not the person who erred. That, in my opinion, is an abuse of the game.
That would be like to me leaving a player out to dry just because he made a mistake. My job is to go in and help that athlete get better, not to tell them they’ll never play again.
On Wednesday, Klopp stated that he thought a repeat would be fair, although he emphasized that he was speaking as a football fan rather than the manager of Liverpool. If he had known about the error at the time, Postecoglou was questioned about whether he would have allowed the Reds to walk the ball into the net.
On the basis of my convictions, I wouldn’t make a choice that may potentially take your team down, he retorted.
If someone had told me at that time that they would explain everything that happened in the 30-second window that I had to select a choice, it wouldn’t have happened.
“It’s different if it’s something evident, but it’s also pretty clear that it was a horrible mistake—a mistake made, as I said, due to a lack of communication. However, it wasn’t anything that could have been explained simply, as if it could have been, I would have anticipated a greater commotion throughout the game.
“It became clear it wasn’t an integrity issue, it wasn’t a misuse of the law, it was a communication error, a mistake, and a mistake that cost Liverpool,” Postecoglou continued. I recognize that it’s unique in that it hasn’t happened before.
“But at the same time, we’re in a new technological environment where I anticipate many firsts in the way we handle these situations.
Unless we want to adapt our game into other codes where the event lasts for four hours and we have to justify every choice, I don’t think there is and never will be an error-free, perfect system, in my opinion.
