Former Premier League referee slams VAR and 'lazy' officials after Liverpool error

A former Premier League referee has slammed VAR and officials after a costly error in Liverpool’s game against Tottenham.

In a statement released on Sunday, Liverpool said “sporting integrity” was “undermined” by a VAR error in their 2-1 Premier League.

VAR failed to overturn an incorrect decision to disallow a first-half Luis Diaz goal for offside when the scores were locked at 0-0. To add insult to injury, Spurs went on to score the game’s opener two minutes after the incident.

Liverpool said the club will "explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution". Meanwhile, the VAR officials were stood down from duty for the rest of the weekend.

PGMOL, the referees’ governing body, has said the decision to disallow the goal was a “significant human error”. Liverpool, however, said the explanation was “unacceptable” and called for a "review with full transparency".

Among the many voices criticising Saturday’s officiating is former Premier League referee Keith Hackett, who claimed VAR has made officials "lazy".

“I do not believe that VAR has delivered on what it promised,” Hackett wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “That was to improve accuracy in the decision-making process.

“Referees have become lazy, indecisive, reactive, not pro-active. Cards have been flashed, reducing their power as a deterrent. VAR is not working."

Before releasing a strongly worded club statement on the matter, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said his side's defeat came in "the most unfair circumstances" with "crazy decisions".

Klopp also said the PGMOL statement admitting wrong-doing "doesn't help" and referenced the apology Wolves received for the decision not to award a penalty at Manchester United on the opening matchday of the season.

Meanwhile, former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville labelled Liverpool's statement a "mistake".

Writing on X he said: "Jurgen Klopp handled the situation well last night after the game. Most football fans will have had empathy with what happened and recognised it was wrong!

"However Liverpool's statement tonight is a mistake! Talk of exploring all options (what does that mean!) and sporting integrity are dangerous phrases along with being vague and aggressive."

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.