Staff Reporter.
(SkySports) – The VAR audio from Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed goal for Liverpool at Tottenham has been released by the PGMOL, revealing the radio operator was the only person to tell the officials to stop the game and award the goal.
In the first half of the match, Diaz was flagged offside after scoring but replays showed he was actually onside.
But Darren England, the VAR, mistakenly believed the on-field decision had been to award the goal, leading him to tell Simon Hooper, the referee, that the check was complete.
Once England and the assistant VAR Dan Cook were alerted to their mistake by the radio operator, they repeatedly said could not intervene as the game had restarted.
“Can’t do anything,” said England as the radio operator asked for the game to be delayed.
In an increasingly-frantic exchange, the unnamed replay operator says: “Oli’s calling in to say delay the game. The decision is onside”.
It’s understood that the ‘Oli’ referred to is Oli Kohout, the VAR Hub Operations executive.
Audio from fourth official Michael Oliver is not included in the clip.
This is the transcript of what was said between the officials. The on-field referee does not hear all of the audio from the VAR room – only those comments directed to him.
Assistant referee 1: Waiting. Delaying, delaying.
VAR: Possible offside, Diaz.
Assistant referee 1: Coming back for the offside, mate.
VAR: Just checking the offside, Delay, delay.
VAR: Give the kick point, let’s go. Kick point, please?
Referee: Yeah no worries, mate.
Replay operator: So here we are.
Referee: Wait.
Replay operator: Just get a tight angle.
VAR: Yeah, give me a 2D line ready after this one for frame two after that.
Replay operator: So frame two there?
VAR: That’s fine.
VAR: Perfect, yeah.
VAR: 2D line on the left boot.
Replay operator: Let me just switch angles.
VAR: Romero, I think it is?
Replay operator: I think it might be this angle [that is] better? Happy with this angle?
VAR: Yep.
Replay operator: 2D line on the boot?
VAR: 2D line on the left boot.
Replay operator: Yeah, okay.
Replay operator: So, 2D line on the boot.
VAR: And stop.
VAR: Check complete, check complete. That’s fine, perfect.
Assistant referee 1: Playing.
Referee: Cheers, mate.
VAR: Thank you, mate.
Referee: Well done, boys. Good process.
Replay operator: Wait, wait, wait, wait. The on-field decision was offside.
Replay operator: Are you happy with this?
Assistant VAR: Yeah.
Replay operator: Are you happy with this?
Assistant VAR: Offside, goal, yeah.
Assistant VAR: That’s wrong that, Daz.
VAR: What?
Replay operator: On-field decision was offside. Are you happy with this image? Yeah, it’s onside, The image that we gave them is onside.
Assistant VAR: The left-back he’s played him, he’s gone offside.
VAR: Oh [expletive].
Replay operator: Delay, delay.
Replay operator: Oli’s [PGMOL Hub Ops] saying to delay, Oli’s saying to delay.
VAR: Pardon?
Replay operator: Oli’s calling in to say delay the game. The decision is onside.
VAR: Can’t do anything.
Replay operator: Oli’s saying to delay, Oli’s saying to delay.
VAR: Oli?
Fourth official: Yeah?
Replay operator: Delay the game, delay the game. Stop the game.
VAR Darren England: They’ve restarted the game. Can’t do anything, can’t do anything.
AVAR Dan Cook: Yeah, they’ve restarted. Yeah.
VAR Darren England: Can’t do anything.
AVAR Dan Cook: No.
VAR Darren England: I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything. *Expletive*.
The game continued with the Liverpool throw-in and, two minutes later, Son Heung-min slid Spurs in front.
Liverpool responded with an equaliser in first-half stoppage time through Cody Gakpo but the visitors, who went down to nine men following Diogo Jota’s red card, lost when Joel Matip sliced into his own net in injury-time.