Howard Webb, the head referee, expressed “disappointment” after the ridiculous VAR error at Tottenham and vowed to make sure that future incidents of this nature are avoided.
Last month, Liverpool lost to Tottenham away in contentious circumstances. Just before halftime, a valid Luis Diaz goal should have been scored due to a VAR communication error.
The PGMOL confirmed that a “significant human error” had prevented the strike from standing, and Liverpool formally requested the release of the VAR audio from the incident.
Webb, the president of PGMOL and a former referee, was called to talk about the error on Sky Sports’ “Match Officials.”
Webb continued by elaborating on how quickly the conclusion was reached and emphasized that “efficiency” should never come at the expense of doing things correctly:
Our task is to ascertain what transpired and determine what can be done to stop it from happening again.
“You may hear that Darren [England] is moving through the process very rapidly; on the other hand, we occasionally receive criticism for moving too slowly.
While efficiency is a priority, accuracy is never sacrificed. Human error can occur in all spheres of life, as we are aware, and it did so here.
“We want the on-field official to communicate the decision to the VAR in a very clear manner,” the official said.
The ex-referee further disclosed that steps are being taken to prevent mistakes of this sort from happening again and that he was not made aware of the VAR’s flaws until after the game:
“We have taken a lot of measures to make sure that the mistake we saw in that crucial game doesn’t occur again.
“I can see why people might wonder [why the game couldn’t be delayed], the VAR and assistant VAR did too when it finally clicked.
“They also acknowledged that it against the FIFA-established rules of the game.
“[Referee Simon Hooper] had no idea whatsoever until the conclusion of the match.
“I believe it’s better if you are unaware of the error on the field,”
