Echoes of errors: why has VAR sparked so much fury this season?
There have been some glaring mistakes by VAR but it also appears to have increased officiating standards on the pitch
Seven months ago England came the closest yet to entering thermonuclear war over a refereeing decision. When the referee Simon Hooper mistakenly ruled out a Luis Díaz goal for offside, and the VAR Darren England failed to correct him, the initial response was heated and only bubbled up from there.
“They said it was significant, that’s very significant,” said Gary Neville on Sky at full time when a PGMOL [Professional Game Match Officials Limited] statement dropped acknowledging “significant human error” in ruling out the goal. “It makes you wonder how many others they’ve got wrong as well,” chipped in Jamie Redknapp. By the next morning, Liverpool had released a statement arguing “sporting integrity had been undermined”, the supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly had said that “VAR and PGMOL are not fit for purpose” and the club’s former striker John Aldridge was alleging corruption. By Monday morning, Ed Balls and Susanna Reid were discussing the incident on Good Morning Britain and we were likely spared the public indignation of MPs only because parliament was in recess.
