The explanations offered by Howard Webb for the Luis Diaz offside goal and the shortcomings of the VAR system have not been well received by Liverpool fans.
On Tuesday night’s episode of “Match Officials: Mic’d Up” on Sky Sports, Webb, the head of the refereeing organization PGMOL, discussed a number of concerns.
The former Premier League player initially appeared to be treading carefully as he discussed Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Man City and Liverpool’s 2-1 loss against Tottenham.
However, the 52-year-old made two crucial assertions during the process:
1) According to reports, referee Simon Hooper was unaware of the Diaz offside debacle until AFTER the game.
Michael Oliver, the official, failed to display Mateo.
2) Mateo Kovacic was subjected to two brutal challenges in quick succession, but referee Michael Oliver did not dismiss him in order to avoid a “negative impact.”
Below is an example of Webb’s analysis of Diaz’s disallowed goal, which has significantly altered how VAR is being used in England:
These two assertions are startling, and for Liverpool supporters, Webb’s attempt to explain the circumstance at Tottenham has fallen short of the truth.
It is amazing to claim that Hooper was unaware that VAR had incorrectly disallowed a goal for the Reds until after the game had ended and Spurs had defeated a team with nine men 2-1.
It was previously asserted that the referee was unaware of the severity of the error until halftime.
Even yet, Hooper seems to have known of the scenario on the field at some point shortly after Diaz’s goal, as evidenced by the gravity that was engraved on his face.
Since PGMOL only released the audio between officials for around two minutes around the decision, this is purely conjecture.
In any case, Webb’s remarks drew criticism from fans on social media, particularly around the Arsenal 1-0 Man City:
Howard Webb would have us believe that the referee was unaware of the VAR gaffe regarding Diaz’s disallowed goal until after the match.
If that were the case, he should seriously doubt the competence of his officials.
