The Premier League has issued new guidelines for video assistant referees (VAR).
They will be introduced immediately after Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat against Tottenham.
PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) eventually recognized that a “significant human error” had occurred.
Darren England, who was on VAR duty for the game, mistook the goal for one awarded by the on-field team and promptly stated “check complete” to ensure Diaz was onside.
However, the on-field crew interpreted this to mean that their original call of offside was correct, and play resumed, causing a great uproar.
According to PGMOL, the new guidelines would “improve the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team in relation to on-field decisions.”
To avoid a repeat of what happened with Diaz, VARs will now clarify the conclusion of the checking process with the assistant VAR before confirming the final judgment to the on-field officials.