Premier League official stood down for Liverpool games for the 2023/24 season

Darren England keeps his job as a Premier League referee but he will not officiate any Liverpool games this season

Telegraph reports Premier League referee Darren England has kept his job but he will not officiate Liverpool games this season. England was the lead VAR at the epicenter of the disastrous call that disallowed Luis Diaz‘s goal against Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool lost the controversy-filled Premier League game 2-1 which saw two of their players sent off. The 37-year-old will remain a Premier League official as he retains the backing from chief refereeing officer Howard Webb.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) released

a statement and admitted a “significant human error” that cost Liverpool the opening goal of the match.

PGMOL released the audio tapes after the request from Liverpool which portrayed a very bad picture. The VAR process that took place during the incident was tumultuous with multiple voices overlapping each other with instructions.

England informed the on-field referee Simon Hooper with two words “Check complete” without confirming the on-field decision.

Dutch computer engineer Mo Abby audibly endeavors to be the voice of reason on the audio tape. Abby’s supervisor Oli Kohout advised him to ask the officials to delay the game in order to rectify the error. Officials England and Cook ignored the advice and chose to accept the outcome of their absurd decision.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke (h/t Sky Sports

) about the issue ahead of the Europa League clash against Union Saint-Gilloise. He said:

“I’m not angry with anybody, not at all. We should not go for them. They made a mistake and they felt horrible that night, I’m 100 percent sure. That’s enough for me, nobody needs further punishment.”

While it is a small victory of sorts, it will count for little unless concrete steps are taken to improve accountability and responsibility for one’s decisions. The PGMOL cannot expect to be a dictatorial regime that answers nobody and can brush inefficiency under the rug with an apology.

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We think that VAR needs an overhaul to review when it comes to offside decisions. Goal-line technology is also error-prone but it reduces human error and offside decisions require a similar automated system. PGMOL can also practice the availability of audio without any need for a request from the clubs.

Referees are human and prone to error but constructive criticism is an essential part of any profession in the world. Transparency will only improve the quality of officiating and take away the need to question the official’s integrity. Referees, whether due to personal bias or other compromising factors, will benefit from more open communication when they are honest.