PGMOL Releases VAR Audio of Liverpool's Incorrectly Disallowed Goal vs. Tottenham

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) released the audio of the conversation between the match officials during Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 win over Liverpool when a goal by Luis Díaz was ruled out for offside.

In the video published Tuesday, VAR officials can be heard identifying how the call on the field was misidentified in the booth. Darren England, who was running the review, believed he was confirming that Díaz had been onside rather than overturning the original decision. The match had restarted before the mistake was made clear, so nothing could be done at that point.

"As stated shortly after the full-time whistle on Saturday evening, we acknowledged in a statement that a significant human error had occurred during the aforementioned match, which we recognize should have resulted in a goal being awarded through VAR intervention," PGMOL said in a statement.

In its statement, the PGMOL added will emphasize to officials "the need for efficiency, but never at the expense of accuracy." Slight changes to the VAR process will be made as well to improve communication between the match referee and the VAR booth.

As Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said in his post-match press conference, what's done is done in terms how much the mistake influenced Saturday's match. Maybe Liverpool still winds up losing even if Díaz's goal had stood, but there's no question a first-half goal for the Reds would've changed the proceedings.

The PGMOL's attempt at providing additional transparency may also do little to quell the general criticism that's growing toward the whole premise behind VAR.

Games are slowing down and supporters aren't sure whether they can celebrate a goal, lest an attacker be deemed centimeters ahead of the offside line following a lengthy review.

There are also incidents, like the tackle that garnered a red card for Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones. What looked like a bookable offense in real time rises to the level of a dismissal when it's slowed down and scrutinized second by second.

"This was a very modern kind of red card: a red card that wasn't obviously unfair or incorrect; but which also wasn't obviously correct or fair," the Guardian's Barney Ronay wrote of Jones' sending-off. "It was a red card that happened because the tools exist to call it into being."

The red card was upheld after an appeal.

VAR isn't even assured of guaranteeing the one thing it's supposed to accomplish, as evidenced by Saturday's error. Earlier this season, Wolverhampton Wanderers received their own apology because Michael Salisbury, the VAR official, failed to award a penalty due a foul by Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana in second-half stoppage time.

It might be only a matter of time before the next major VAR controversy, which will prompt another apology and a series of minor measures in an effort to perfect what may be an irrevocably flawed system.