Liverpool face backlash as Premier League rivals baffled by Reds’ statement

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Several of Liverpool’s rivals in the Premier League are growing ‘increasingly disgruntled’ by the fallout of the VAR controversy that marred Saturday’s defeat at Tottenham. The Reds were left incensed when Luis Diaz was denied a goal that should have stood, with referee Simon Hooper disallowing the strike after it was flagged for offside despite PGMOL admitting Stockley Park knew the winger was onside.

A quick VAR check resulted in the on-field decision being upheld despite it being clear that Diaz had been played onside by the outstretched leg of Cristian Romero. PGMOL later issued a formal apology but Liverpool were not satisfied and have since vowed to ‘explore the range of options […] for escalation and resolution’.

The Reds have also requested for PGMOL to release the audio of the relevant conversations between on-field officials and the VAR room. Some of Liverpool’s rivals are said to be growing frustrated with the saga, though, and have reportedly cooled their sympathy despite initially siding with the Merseyside giants at the time of the incident.

There is a growing feeling that Liverpool should accept that mistakes are a part of the game and simply draw a line under what happened, according to The Independent. It is said that some clubs also believe that it could ‘open a can of worms’ that sees every decision disputed in a way that prevents the sport from functioning properly.

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Others are thought to have pointed out that they have lost points and millions of pounds in prize money due to refereeing decisions but did not kick up as much of a fuss as Liverpool. Meanwhile, those in power at Anfield remain adamant that it would benefit the game as a whole to investigate the Diaz offside given the scale of the error in question.

The statement released by the Reds on Monday morning reads: “We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.

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“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention. That such failings have already been categorised as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable.

“Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency. This is vital for the reliability of future decision-making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again.”

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