Who is playing Thursday Night Football in Week 5?
After a so-so start to the Thursday night schedule, this week's matchup could either be really good or another snoozer.
2023-10-04 20:22
Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill recalls Jamal Lewis and Callum Marshall
Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has recalled Jamal Lewis and Callum Marshall to his squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against San Marino and Slovenia. O’Neill’s side play San Marino and Slovenia in a Group H double-header on October 14 and 17 respectively, with both games at Windsor Park. Newcastle defender Lewis, on loan at Watford, missed last month’s defeats in Slovenia and Kazakhstan through injury. Striker Marshall has forced his way back into O’Neill’s plans after scoring nine goals in 12 appearances for West Ham Under-21s. Midfielders Brad Lyons (Kilmarnock) and Paddy Lane (Portsmouth), defenders Eoin Toal (Bolton) and Brodie Spencer (Motherwell) and QPR winger Paul Smyth have all retained their places in the squad. Oxford defender Ciaron Brown has not been included after sustaining injury against Slovenia last month, while Blackpool striker Shayne Lavery and Portsmouth winger Gavin Whyte have also been left out despite recently returning from injury for their clubs. O’Neill will be without defender Craig Cathcart, who announced his retirement last month, while experienced midfielders Steven Davis (Rangers), Corry Evans (Sunderland), Stuart Dallas (Leeds) and Shane Ferguson (Rotherham) are still recovering from long-term injuries. Liverpool wing-back Conor Bradley and Nottingham Forest defender Aaron Donnelly are also unavailable through injury. Northern Ireland’s qualification hopes are over after O’Neill’s injury-hit squad slipped to five straight group defeats and the former Stoke boss is now building for the future. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-10-04 19:26
Key questions answered surrounding the review of how VAR is used in English game
A review of how VAR is used in the English game is under way after miscommunication between officials led to a Liverpool goal being wrongly disallowed on Saturday. Here, the PA news agency provides an update on where we are. What happened? On-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistants flagged Luis Diaz offside after he fired in what would have been the opening goal in the Reds’ Premier League match at Tottenham on Saturday. Crucially, VAR Darren England thought the on-field decision had been onside. So although he followed the correct procedure in drawing lines and identifying that Diaz was onside, by telling the on-field officials “check complete” they thought their decision to give offside had been upheld by the check. Only in the seconds which followed did the VAR operators realise their error, by which time play had restarted. Current protocols do not permit a decision to be revisited once that has happened. How did Liverpool react? The club issued a statement on Sunday night saying that sporting integrity had been undermined by the error and that they would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”. The club requested – and were sent – the audio of the incident before it was released publicly on Tuesday evening. What happens next? The first thing to say is that Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) admitted on Saturday evening that a “significant error” had occurred. As well as standing down England and the assistant VAR Daniel Cook for duties on Sunday and Monday, plus the weekend to come, it has identified some “key learnings” from the incident. These include the development of a new communications protocol to enhance clarity between referees and VARs. Phil Bentham has been brought into PGMOL from rugby league to improve communication between officials and will no doubt be key to this work. VARs will now also confirm the outcome of their check with their assistants in the booth, before relaying the final decision to on-field officials. PGMOL and the Football Association will also review the policy allowing officials to be involved in domestic league matches overseas, after England and Cook were part of a team which oversaw a game in the United Arab Emirates last Thursday, arriving back in the UK on Friday morning. What has the Premier League said? The league issued a statement saying that the Diaz incident highlighted “systemic weaknesses” in the VAR process and said a wider review to seek consistently-higher standards would now take place. Besides improving communication between officials, what else could change? The incident has led to renewed calls from fans and pundits to allow the conversations between VARs and referees to be broadcast live. Eighty per cent of fans supported this being introduced in a Football Supporters’ Association survey published in the summer and the boss of TNT Sports – one of the league’s key broadcast partners – said in July it was a “huge missed opportunity” not to have such a system in place. While the Premier League has never publicly given its view on live audio, it was part of a World Leagues Forum poll published in June which found 25 out of the 41 leagues surveyed supported its introduction. Crucially though, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which sets the game’s laws, is understood not to have received any requests so far in the current cycle to trial a live audio system. What about in-stadium announcements like we had at the Women’s World Cup? To date this has been a FIFA-only trial, but IFAB is prepared to open it up to allow other competitions to take part. However, the announcements are limited to decisions where an on-field review is conducted by a referee at a pitchside monitor. Offside decisions such as the Diaz incident are not checked in this way. What about semi-automated offside? This is in operation in a number of major competitions, having first been trialled at the men’s World Cup in Qatar. However, the Premier League has so far opted not to introduce it. It can also be argued that it would not have helped in a situation like Diaz – the existing technology was used to identify that Diaz was onside, the mistake was human error, pure and simple.
2023-10-04 18:47
UK and Ireland set to host Euro 2028 after Turkey withdraw bid
The UK and Ireland are poised to host Euro 2028 with their bid now unopposed due to Turkey’s withdrawal. The joint bid between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, which was up against Turkey ahead of next week’s Uefa announcement, will secure hosting rights subject to final approval from the governing body’s executive committee. Turkey will now join forces with Italy to host Euro 2032 instead, with Germany the hosts for next year’s Euro 2024. Uefa officials are yet to confirm how the hosts would qualify for Euro 2028, with discussions over the prospect of teams participating in qualification to secure competitive preparation for the tournament. However some teams could still qualify even if knocked out. The Independent reported in July that Uefa were unlikely to grant all five nations a place in the 24-team tournament. While Uefa sees benefits to the joint bid in terms of commercial potential and most of the infrastructure already in place, the number of teams hosting brings an unprecedented element. Issues related to sporting integrity as regards qualification may now emerge, with Uefa likely to award a maximum of three guaranteed places. The anticipated expansion of the tournament to 32 teams is not expected to happen until 2032. The prospect of a mini-tournament before qualification officially starts is thought to be on the table. While the Independent understands there is a very minor possibility the tournament could have just four hosts if Northern Ireland's planned stadium of Casement Park in Belfast isn't reconstructed in time. But that isn't currently seen as a challenge, given five years until the competition. There is no confirmation on who would host the final, though Wembley Stadium would seem the likely favourite, meaning a second European final in three editions of the competition. England lost to Italy in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley, which took place in 2021 after its postponement due to Covid. Wembley is one of 14 venues across the five countries to have been shortlisted in the bid, with nine English stadia in total, two in the Republic of Ireland and one each in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The inclusion of Casement Park, a Gaelic sports venue which is in the process of being redeveloped, means Belfast is set to host matches should it remain when the final list of 10 stadia is submitted to Uefa in April. The nine English stadia include three in London – Wembley, the London Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium are on the provisional list, as are Newcastle’s St James’ Park and Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. Everton’s new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock is on the shortlist, as is Villa Park in Birmingham. The Aviva Stadium and Croke Park are the shortlisted venues in Dublin, while the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and Hampden Park in Glasgow complete the list. Gareth Bale was due to help the bid by joining a Welsh delegation in Geneva this month. The legendary winger, who is Wales' most capped player and record goalscorer, retired from football in January, but the 34-year-old offered to help Wales secure joint-hosting rights. Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney said: “We are hoping for a successful bid and Gareth is very much part of the FAW and what we do. He has been identified as one of the faces of the bid presentation. Gareth is globally famous. You can get into a taxi in Sydney or Peru and if you mention you are from Wales they will say ‘Gareth Bale’. It is an instant reaction. “When I go home to the west of Ireland the first thing people say to me is ‘how is Gareth Bale?’ Gareth is so good for us. We went to him and asked him if he would get involved in the Euro ’28 bid and he just said: ‘What can I do for Wales?’ It was instant – ‘how can I help you get the bid over the line?'” Turkey now looks set to host the major tournament in 2032, eight years after falling short in the race to host Euro 2024, with Germany outpointing them 12-4 in the voting. The Uefa Executive Committee will officially appoint host associations on 10 October at the governing body’s headquarters, the House of European Football, in Nyon, Switzerland. Read More UK and Ireland’s Euro 2028 bid unlikely to secure five automatic places Gareth Bale part of Welsh delegation to help UK and Ireland Euro 2028 bid UK and Ireland shortlist 14 stadiums for Euro 2028 bid Gareth Bale part of Welsh delegation to help UK and Ireland Euro 2028 bid UK and Ireland bid for Euro 2028 to be unopposed after Turkey withdraw interest Ed Sheeran and Ipswich players celebrate win with dressing room sing-along
2023-10-04 17:59
Rasmus Hojlund says Manchester United must ‘stick together’ in ‘tough period’
Rasmus Hojlund says Manchester United must stick together if they are to emerge from a “tough period” that has put Erik ten Hag’s side under intense scrutiny and pressure. Having won the Carabao Cup, reached the FA Cup final and finished third during the Dutchman’s first campaign in change, things have gone dramatically awry this term. United have lost four of their opening seven matches for the first time in the Premier League era and are pointless after their first two Champions League group games. There was no disgrace in the 4-3 loss at Bayern Munich a fortnight ago, but Tuesday’s 3-2 collapse at home to a Galatasaray side that had never won in England before is something else. “Of course it’s not about the individual performance,” Hojlund said. “It’s about getting the three points and at the moment we’re not doing good enough. “We need to remember we can’t get goals (go in) right after we score. “We’ve had a few games now where they just score after we scored. “We need to go back and analyse that tomorrow and talk about it in the group. “Of course it’s a tough period now but we need to stick together and that’s the only way we can get out of this period.” Hojlund opened the scoring on Tuesday with his first Old Trafford goal, only for grinning former United forward Wilfried Zaha to level for Galatasaray. Summer signing Hojlund raced through to score a superb second after he saw an earlier effort ruled out for offside, but Kerem Akturkoglu quickly equalise for the visitors. That goal sent United into a tailspin. Andre Onana’s horror pass led to Casemiro getting a red card and the Turkish champions winning a penalty, which Mauro Icardi missed but quickly atoned for when racing through to dink home. “We need to get some points now if we want to play in Champions League after the group stage,” Hojlund said ahead of matches home and away to former club FC Copenhagen. “I am looking forward to playing against them because it’s a former club, my brothers are playing there, and I have a big heart for Copenhagen. “But now I play in Manchester United and we need to get some points out of them.” United players kept their heads down as they walked through interview area after a chastening loss in which Hojlund’s display was the only highlight. The Old Trafford giants went for promise over a proven goalscorer when signing the 20-year-old international from Atalanta in the summer and he enjoyed his breakout moment on Tuesday. I like to call that a signature Rasmus goal Rasmus Hojlund on his second goal “It’s about getting in there,” Hojlund told MUTV. “For me, I always try to get into the dangerous positions. “Today I got the ball three times (there), if you count the offside goal as well. “I’ve been bought to be scoring goals and now I was happy to score two today. “Marcus (Rashford) and I talk to each other and he knows that I’m going to be there. “He knows that I can keep up with his pace when we go on the counter and we saw a glimpse of that today. “(The second goal) was a good feeling. I got cheated a little bit before because of the offside (with my second goal) but, yeah, it was an incredible goal. “I like to call that a signature Rasmus goal – on the left side, running a lot so, yeah, it was nice.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Jadon Sancho keeping contact with Borussia Dortmund On this day in 2008: Leeds beat St Helens to win Super League Grand Final Dan Sheehan says Ireland ‘fully aware of what we need to do’ against Scotland
2023-10-04 16:17
Football rumours: Jadon Sancho keeping contact with Borussia Dortmund
What the papers say Jadon Sancho is looking increasingly likely to call time at Old Trafford in January. The Daily Mail, citing Sky Germany, says the 23-year-old winger has been in regular contact with former club Borussia Dortmund, amid his stand-off with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. Staying with the Red Devils, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite has emerged on the club’s radar for a potential January move. According to the Mail, the centre-back is viewed as a potential replacement should Harry Maguire depart the club in the new year. Branthwaite is also wanted by Manchester City, having impressed on loan at PSV Eindhoven. And The Telegraph reports former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is open to replacing Michael Beale as Rangers manager. Social media round-up Players to watch Lionel Messi: The Daily Mirror says the Inter Miami forward will return to his first club, Newell’s Old Boys, when his contract expires in 2025. Jeremie Frimpong: The left-back is set to re-sign with Bayer Leverkusen, according to the Daily Record. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-10-04 14:26
An 11-year-old accused of shooting 2 teens at a Florida football practice is arrested on an attempted murder charge
An 11-year-old youth football player has been arrested on suspicion of shooting and wounding two fellow players at practice in Florida on Monday night, authorities said.
2023-10-04 08:45
Erik ten Hag and Man United fall deeper into a desperate, dismal mess of their very own making
Three decades ago, when Manchester United were about to face Galatasaray, they were greeted with banners declaring: “Welcome to Hell”. Thirty years on, United may have found hell: not in Istanbul, but in Manchester. A second home defeat in four days has sent them spiralling into crisis. So much for Raphael Varane’s assertion that they can win the Champions League. At this rate, bottom of the group, beaten six times in all competitions already this season, they may not even be playing in the Europa League after Christmas. A 3-2 loss came courtesy of their own failings: of disastrous defending, of the indiscipline of the sent-off Casemiro, of the poor team selection by Erik ten Hag. Even a colossal contribution by Rasmus Hojlund, who scored twice, had another goal disallowed and provided a chance that Bruno Fernandes really should have taken, was obscured by United’s ineptitude. It says something that Davinson Sanchez – that Davinson Sanchez, the former Tottenham centre-back – registered two assists. The second encapsulated United’s haplessness. The Colombian’s header from his own half released Mauro Icardi to run through a shot over Andre Onana, a goalkeeper with a marked reluctance to save any shots. It was rendered easier because Icardi, escaping behind United’s centre-backs, was played onside by the out-of-position makeshift left-back Sofyan Amrabat. It was a wretched night for United’s full-backs: Amrabat was partly culpable for Galatasaray’s second equaliser as well when Bans Yilmaz raced into space behind him before finding Kerem Akturkoglu to finish. Galatasaray’s first goal – scored, with a certain inevitability, by Wilfried Zaha – could be put down to Diogo Dalot. Outmuscled by the winger as Sanchez’s long ball landed in front of him, he allowed Zaha to hook in a shot that bounced over Onana. It was not the first time United had grounds to rue their mismanagement of Sir Alex Ferguson’s last signing. Zaha played four times for them and has now scored four goals against them. Yet Zaha, too, was demoted to a supporting character in the broader tragicomedy of another display of United haplessness. They were a team who were twice reprieved and immediately conceded. Akturkoglu was guilty of a glaring miss when Onana spilled the ball; United let him score instead shortly afterwards. Icardi drilled a spot kick wide after Casemiro, in his final contribution, chopped down Dries Mertens. He was soon on the scoresheet anyway. And for Casemiro, cautioned in the first half, a third red card of a brief United career highlighted how his lack of mobility and their shambolic tactics are dual problems. The Brazilian cannot get to the ball as quickly as he used to. United leave him exposed and, after Onana gave the ball away, he slid in on Mertens. For United, defeat to Bayern Munich by a one-goal margin may have had a certain respectability, much as he 4-3 scoreline in Germany flattered them. A loss at home to Galatasaray has no such sheen. The Turkish champions struggled past Molde in a play-off and went 2-0 down to FC Copenhagen two weeks ago. They brimmed with spirit and showed quality in attack, but the architects of defeat were United themselves. Ten Hag has to take his share of the blame. Picking Hannibal Mejbri backfired and not merely because the youngster, who was hauled off at half-time, contrived to block a goalbound shot from Mason Mount. Yet to focus on the rookie would be overly harsh: senior figures were found wanting. And the one player who should escape censure was United’s youngest starter. Hojlund was outstanding, taking his tally to three goals in two Champions League games, twice putting United ahead. They should have led earlier, Fernandes miscuing a shot wide after the Dane wriggled clear to cross. Then Casemiro hooked a pass over their defence, Marcus Rashford chased it and lifted in a cross and Hojlund accelerated past Davinson Sanchez to head it in. The ubiquitous Colombian had a part in his second, too, slipping as the £72m man sprinted half the length of the pitch to lift a shot over Fernando Muslera. United could rue the moment when Rashford, in trying to provide Fernandes with an open goal, under-hit a pass and allowed Sacha Boey to intercept. Often criticised for his decision-making, this time Rashford’s execution was the issue. But they had far greater problems, lacking control or cohesion, wrenched open, taking the total of goals conceded in Europe this season to seven already. They have horrible memories of visiting Istanbul three decades ago and of being eliminated from the Champions League by Galatasaray. A return at the end of November could come with a similar fate. And a comparison would emphasise their failings: in a year when Manchester City won the Champions League in Istanbul, Manchester United could exit it there. Read More Antony returns to Man Utd squad for Champions League after five-match absence Man United vs Galatasaray LIVE: Latest Champions League updates Sheikh Jassim makes Man Utd takever decision as Sir Jim Ratcliffe considers new bid Consistency the key for Vincent Kompany as he bids to lift Burnley Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United Raphael Varane reveals formula for Manchester United to claim Champions League glory
2023-10-04 07:21
Mikel Arteta defends selecting Bukayo Saka as winger limps off again in Lens
Mikel Arteta defended his decision to play Bukayo Saka as the Arsenal winger limped out of their Champions League defeat to Lens. The Gunners had taken the lead through Gabriel Jesus but Adrien Thomasson levelled following a David Raya error before Saka hobbled out of the game. Lens would go on to win 2-1 courtesy of a second-half strike from Elye Wahi but it was the injury to Saka that will have concerned Arteta more. Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City visit the Emirates Stadium in five days and Saka’s involvement is now in doubt with the England forward having been forced off in the last three games. Asked if he regretted picking Saka following his issues against both Tottenham and Bournemouth, Arteta replied: “No. It was a knock that he had the other day and he was perfectly fine. It was a back-heel, an action that can produce that kind of injury. “Let’s see what the extent of it is and afterwards it’s too late. The last few were more knocks than anything else. “He hasn’t really missed games. We gave him a break against Brentford (in the Carabao Cup) last week and that was all. “He tried to backheel a ball in the first half and felt something muscular. He felt uncomfortable to carry on so we had to take him off. “We don’t know anything more. It was big enough not to allow him to continue to play the game and that’s a worry for us. “He was really looking forward to playing like every player. It was a big Champions League night. I painted a picture and the type of scenario we were going to face today and they all knew about it. “But this Champions League is so difficult to win away from home. Today we take a big lesson.” The defeat ended a forgettable 24 hours for Arsenal after bad weather grounded Arteta and his players at Luton airport for five hours on Monday as their journey to France was delayed. Now their hopes of avoiding a bumpy ride in qualifying for the knockout stages have also suffered a setback after a turbulent night at a rocking Stade Bollaert-Delelis. “No, let’s not put excuses,” Arteta said when asked if the preparations for the game had impacted on a poor team performance. “First of all, congratulations to Lens. They are a really good side. Really well coached. We knew it was going to be a really tough match. “In the boxes we had four or five chances we didn’t put away and we didn’t defend the boxes well enough. “It’s true there were moments in the second half we struggled to be more threatening in the final third and find spaces. “They defended with those numbers really good. That’s something to take for the next game.” Lens had started the season slowly but won their two Ligue 1 games leading into a first Champions League home game in 21 years and defender Kevin Danso was delighted with the outcome. “We gave it our all today in front of our own fans,” he said. “It was a difficult game, Arsenal had a lot of quality and made us sit back really deep, but we kept defending and kept our concentration. Luckily we won the game. “At home we know how strong we are, in front of our fans. That’s what we always try to do: win at home. I’m a bit gutted about the clean sheet, but we’ll take the three points definitely.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jude Bellingham helps Real Madrid to victory and Bayern Munich hit back to win Danny Care: England taking inspiration from Europe’s Ryder Cup win at World Cup Kieran Trippier aims to ruin Kylian Mbappe’s Newcastle trip even if son is upset
2023-10-04 06:26
Burnley secure first Premier League win with late victory at Luton
Jacob Bruun Larsen’s dramatic winner snatched Burnley their first Premier League win of the season – a 2-1 victory at Luton Town. The Dane’s goal-of-the-season contender came after Lyle Foster’s opener had been cancelled out by Hatters striker Elijah Adebayo. Rob Edwards’ side were left to rue missed chances once again as they failed to build on Saturday’s 2-1 win at Everton. Carlton Morris set the tone in the opening seconds when he closed down goalkeeper James Trafford’s clearance and minutes later his strike from inside the box went narrowly wide as the hosts looked for an early opener. Burnley were second-best for the first 20 minutes, but Vincent Kompany’s men rode the storm and began to enjoy some success. Clarets forward Zeki Amdouni tested Thomas Kaminski with a header from a corner that forced an acrobatic save from the Belgian to keep the score level. This came shortly before Josh Brownhill had fired a warning shot from distance which narrowly avoided Kaminski’s top corner. The chance of the half came in the 33rd minute. Alfie Doughty found wing-back partner Issa Kabore and he sent over a cross in search of Morris but the ball fell kindly for Chiedozie Ogbene, whose diving header was inches away from nestling inside Trafford’s post. However, it was Burnley who struck first in time added on in the first half. Sander Berge did well to find Foster and he beat Tom Lockyer in a foot race to tuck his effort away. The Hatters almost equalised when Doughty’s inch-perfect corner found the head of Morris and his glancing header went inches wide. Substitute Adebayo found the head of Jacob Brown who was denied by Josh Cullen on the line as the tide began to turn with 25 minutes to go. After Morris was denied a penalty, his header missed the target once again as it started to feel like it was not going to be the Hatters’ night. But it was Adebayo who grabbed Luton the goal they deserved after 84 minutes. Reece Burke got on the end of a deep cross and provided the knockdown to the striker, who sorted his feet out and tapped home to level. But their joy was short-lived as Burnley scored a second a minute later to stun Kenilworth Road into silence. Bruun Larsen cut inside and produced an outstanding curled effort which found the top corner in front of the away fans. Luton searched for a second equaliser during seven added minutes but it was not to be and Burnley held on for the win to move up to 18th in the table. Read More That’s wrong Daz – panicked VAR recording of Luis Diaz disallowed goal released Kieran Trippier aims to ruin Kylian Mbappe’s Newcastle trip even if son is upset PGMOL release audio and review after Diaz’s disallowed goal for Liverpool Liverpool to be sent audio from VAR controversy before it is released publicly Liverpool request VAR audio of match-altering Luis Diaz goal decision Mauricio Pochettino’s faith in Mykhailo Mudryk is exactly what Chelsea need
2023-10-04 05:48
Man Utd’s poor form continues with damaging Champions League loss to Galatasaray
Manchester United fell to a jaw-dropping, error-ridden 3-2 defeat at home to Galatasaray as Erik ten Hag’s side saw their start to the season go from bad to worse in an embarassing Champions League collapse. Having lost their Group A opener at Bayern Munich and fallen to a fourth defeat in seven Premier League matches on Saturday, the Red Devils reached a new low on a wet Tuesday night at Old Trafford. Rasmus Hojlund scored a superb second after his opener was cancelled out by Galatasaray’s grinning former United forward Wilfried Zaha, only for Ten Hag’s men to spectacularly unravel. Kerem Akturkoglu equalised and summer signing Andre Onana’s atrocious pass out straight to Dries Mertens led to a poor Casemiro recovery challenge that saw the Brazil midfielder sent off and a penalty awarded. The goalkeeper – guilty of a costly gaffe in Munich – was relieved to see Mauro Icardi strike the spot-kick wide, but the striker swiftly made amends as United fell to a third Old Trafford loss of the campaign Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-10-04 05:22
‘A loss of focus’ – VAR recording of Luis Diaz disallowed goal released
The audio recording of the discussion between the match officials that led to Luis Diaz’s goal being wrongly disallowed has been made public, with VAR Darren England swearing twice upon being told of his mistake. Diaz was incorrectly adjudged to have been offside on the field after netting in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on Saturday, a decision which was not over-ruled by England and his assistant Daniel Cook. Liverpool asked for a recording of what happened and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has taken the step to publicly release the communication into how the bungled verdict was reached. PGMOL said England “lost sight of the on-field decision” due to “a lapse of concentration and loss of focus”. In the recording, England says “check complete, check complete. That’s fine, perfect” before the replay operator and then Cook question whether the correct decision has been made. England swears upon realising the error and then says “they’ve restarted the game. Can’t do anything, can’t do anything” as the replay operator makes repeated calls to delay the match. England then issues another expletive before the tape finishes, the end of an incident in which PGMOL, the referees’ body, admitted immediately after the match that a “significant human error” had occurred. Liverpool said “sporting integrity has been undermined”, while they released a statement the following day indicating they would explore their options given the “clear need for escalation and resolution”. PGMOL said in a statement accompanying the audio: “After the on-field officials had disallowed the goal for offside, the checking phase and process started and was carried out correctly by the VAR. “In a lapse of concentration and loss of focus in that moment, the VAR lost sight of the on-field decision and he incorrectly communicated ‘check complete’, therefore inadvertently confirming the on-field decision. He did this without any dialogue with the AVAR (assistant VAR). “The match then restarted immediately. After a few seconds, the replay operator and then the AVAR queried the check-complete outcome with the VAR and asked him to review the image that had been created, pointing out that the original on-field decision had been offside, but this was not communicated to the on-field team at any point during the match. “The VAR team then gave consideration as to whether the game could be stopped at that point, however the VAR and AVAR concluded that the VAR protocol within the laws of the game would not permit that to happen, and they decided intervention was not possible as play had restarted.” England and Cook have not been included among the officials for duty in the coming weekend’s Premier League fixtures. The pair had already been replaced for the remainder of their matchweek seven duties – England was due to be fourth official at Nottingham Forest v Brentford on Sunday, with Cook scheduled to be assistant referee for Monday’s Fulham-Chelsea clash. PGMOL has vowed to learn from this incident, stressing accuracy over all else, including efficiency, to its video match officials and, from now on, a VAR must confer with their AVAR in the check process before relaying the final decision to the on-field officials. The Premier League announced a wider review of VAR, amid scathing criticism in the fallout of what happened at the weekend, is set to be held in conjunction with the PGMOL. A Premier League spokesperson said: “It is clear that there were not only human errors but systemic weaknesses in the VAR process. We accept PGMOL’s immediate recommendations to ensure that such failures are not repeated in the future. It is clear that there were not only human errors but systemic weaknesses in the VAR process. Premier League spokesperson “However, a wider review to seek consistently higher standards of VAR performance will be conducted by the Premier League and PGMOL, supported by other stakeholders, and where necessary further recommended actions will be brought forward and implemented. “We have communicated fully with Liverpool FC on this matter and have shared PGMOL’s findings and relevant footage of the incident with all Premier League clubs.” England and Cook have come under further scrutiny since Saturday after it was reported they were part of a refereeing team in the United Arab Emirates two days before the Tottenham-Liverpool match. PGMOL added: “PGMOL and The FA have also agreed to review the policy to allow match officials to officiate matches outside of FIFA or UEFA appointments.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Kieran Trippier aims to ruin Kylian Mbappe’s Newcastle trip even if son is upset The Oscar goes to referees – Pep Guardiola says players must be main attraction Reece Topley ‘undercooked’ as England prepare for World Cup opener
2023-10-04 03:56