WHAT HAPPENED? In future matches, Premier League VARs will now confirm the outcome of decisions with their assistant VAR, in response to the mix-up between referee Darren England and assistant Dan Cook in Liverpool's match against Spurs. The officials meant a check was ruled to be completed and, as a result, an incorrect offside decision against Luis Diaz was given.
Now, PGMOL will introduce a 'VAR communication protocol', with PGMOL instructing the VAR to confirm the outcome of any check process with the assistant VAR before notifying on-field officials regarding the final decision, as of October 7.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The release of the audio recording highlighting the human error behind the decision has caused outrage in the last few days, with Jurgen Klopp suggesting a replay of the match would be the fairest outcome. The Premier League have insisted that won't happen; however, we now know that things will be done differently to avoid a repeat of the mistake in the future. The protocol change is designed to make communication between on-field officials and the VAR team smoother and clearer, something which most people would agree is a much-needed intervention.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR VAR? Supporters, players, and coaches will be hoping that the change of protocol has the desired effect, making communication better and preventing a repeat of the embarrassing error we saw last weekend. However, many people won't view the change as an adequate measure, with the calls for VAR to simply be scrapped growing louder and louder.