MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Jurgen Klopp is calling for Liverpool’s Premier League game against Tottenham to be replayed after a VAR error cost his team a goal.
The governing body of England’s referees admitted its mistake when Luis Diaz’s strike was wrongly ruled offside and announced changes to protocols to avoid a repeat in the future.
But the Liverpool manager does not appear to be ready to let the issue drop after his team’s 2-1 loss.
“I think there should be solutions for that. I think the outcome should be a replay,” Klopp said Wednesday. “The argument against that would be it opens the gates. It is unprecedented, it has not happened before.
“I’m used to wrong and difficult decisions, but something like this never happened and so that is why I think a replay is the right thing to do.”
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) announced the findings of its review into the incident on Tuesday.
Changes implemented as a result include improved communication between Video Assistant Referees.
It also said it would reiterate that the speed of decision-making must not be at the expense of accuracy.
PGMOL released audio of the decision-making process when VAR Darren England failed to award Diaz’s first half strike.
“The audio didn’t change it at all. It is an obvious mistake,” Klopp said.
England and his assistant Dan Cook were stood down from further duty over the weekend and will not officiate any games during the next round of fixtures.
Liverpool would have moved to the top of the Premier League with a win against Tottenham. Afterward it raised questions about “sporting integrity” as a result of the error.
The club issued a statement on Sunday saying it would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”
When asked if Liverpool would formally ask the Premier League for a replay — or had done so already — Klopp said: “At this stage we are still going through the information we have.”
