Shamed referees Darren England and Dan Cook return to Premier League duty after Liverpool blunder

The referees involved in the controversy surrounding Tottenham’s win over Liverpool will make their return to Premier League duty this weekend.

Darren England and Daniel Cook were the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and assistant VAR, respectively, during Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s wrongly ruled out goal in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 home victory.

Both officials were stood down the following week, but England will now serve as the fourth official in Brentford’s home game against Burnley on Saturday, while Cook will return as the assistant referee in Sheffield United’s home match against Manchester United.

A miscommunication between VAR England and referee Simon Hooper led to Diaz’s goal being incorrectly disallowed on September 30. The incident was later described by referees’ chief Howard Webb as “a clear error.”

On Saturday, Hooper will serve as the designated VAR for Newcastle’s home game against Crystal Palace.

The controversy surrounding Diaz’s disallowed goal led to the introduction of new VAR guidelines. Additionally, audio of the incident was released.

England mistakenly believed that the on-field officials had deemed Diaz to be onside. Consequently, when VAR England informed them that the check was complete, they interpreted it as an endorsement of their on-field decision and proceeded with a free-kick.

Once play had recommenced, there was nothing the VAR could do to review the decision under the existing protocols.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the referees’ governing body, announced the development of a new VAR communication protocol in order to prevent similar mistakes in the future.

The PGMOL stated that the protocol would “enhance the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team in relation to on-field decisions.”

Going forward, VAR will also confirm the outcome of the checking process with the assistant VAR before conveying the final decision to the on-field officials.

One of the notable incidents from the recent round of fixtures was referee Michael Oliver’s decision not to send off Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic for a challenge on Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.

Kovacic received a yellow card and narrowly avoided another shortly after. Referees’ chief Howard Webb later acknowledged that Kovacic was fortunate to remain on the pitch.

Oliver will officiate Sheffield United’s home game against Manchester United on Saturday.

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