Liverpool manager calls for Premier League game to be replayed

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called for his side’s game against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League to be replayed.

There has been a lot of talk and controversy over the past few days surrounding VAR and the Premier League after officials made a monumental game-changing error during Liverpool’s eventual defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

Mohamed Salah managed to thread the ball through to his teammate Luis Diaz, and the Colombian international finished very well under pressure and into the far corner, but his celebrations were short-lived as the linesman flagged him offside.

While many in the stadium accepted that decision, most loved it being at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, but what was being shown back on TV to millions of people was far worse than what anyone could expect.

Jurgen Klopp calls for Premier League game to be replayed

Replays had shown Diaz quite clearly onside, but the referee was told by his VAR team and their assistance to stick with the onfield decision which was to rule out the goal and state that Diaz had strayed offside.

However, it has been revealed by the PGMOL that a human error had come into play and in fact, Diaz should not have been given offside, if not for a clumsy collective error in the VAR hub which saw everyone forget what decision had been given on the pitch.

The audio has been released from the VAR hub and it’s made for a very interesting reading because everyone involved agreed with the decision of goal but forgot Diaz had been flagged to be offside, so they gave a different decision to what unfolded.

🗣 "I think the only outcome should be a replay… Something like that has never happened."

Jurgen Klopp discusses the VAR audio that has been released since Liverpool's incorrectly disallowed goal against Tottenham 🎙🔴 pic.twitter.com/LanJACtB6j

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 4, 2023

Jurgen Klopp has now spoken about the decision and bullishly claimed that the game should be replayed, despite the majority of the game still being left to play after this incident.

What has Klopp been saying?

He said: “It’s really important that as big as football is and important as football is we deal with it in a proper way.

“All the people involved, the on-field referee, linesman, fourth official and especially in this case VAR, didn’t do that on purpose. It was an obvious mistake and I think there would have been solutions for it afterwards.

“Some people probably don’t want me to say, but not as the manager of Liverpool so much, more as a football person, the only outcome should be a replay. That’s how it is. It probably will not happen.”

Klopp’s demands are likely to fall on deaf ears because it’s simply not possible to replay a game, and also because managers have already called for fewer games, so the fact Klopp now wants to have another one added to a hectic schedule is slightly laughable.