Gary Neville has criticized Liverpool for using “dangerous expressions” as well as being “vague” and “aggressive” in a strongly worded statement criticizing PGMOL.
The Red Devils issued a statement on Sunday evening after PGMOL – the body responsible for referees in the Premier League – admitted that Luis Diaz’s goal against Spurs was disallowed for offside.
PGMOL admitted to making “significant” human error and added:
“This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded thanks to VAR intervention.”
After VAR mistakenly believed the on-field decision was to award a goal, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expressed his anger, citing “crazy decisions” and “unfair situations” in the interview. Questions after the match.
And a day later, Liverpool released their own statement saying PGMOL’s explanation was “unacceptable” and that they intended to explore “a range of available options” in the meantime.
Following the incident in north London, Sky Sports pundit and commentator Gary Neville reacted directly to PGMOL’s initial statement, saying:
“It was so fast and clearly something was wrong.”
She can also be heard saying “no” several times as host Kelly Cates reads the statement.
And Sunday night at 10 p.m.:
At 28:00, the former MU defender reacted to Liverpool’s above statement.
“Jürgen Klopp handled the situation well last night after the match. Most football fans will sympathize with what happened and realize that it was a mistake!” Neville wrote about X.
“However, Liverpool’s statement tonight was a mistake! Talk of considering all options (what does that mean!!!) and sporting integrity are dangerous expressions as well as vague and aggressive.”
Neville added:
“Sorry we f@@@@d up is enough!! I said it last night. Apologies should be respected and not underestimated. It was a knee-jerk reaction and it could still be wrong, but I feel very confident about it.”
In case you haven’t seen it, here’s Liverpool’s full statement:
“We fully accept the pressures that match officials are under, but these pressures are intended to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.
“It is therefore unsatisfactory that there is not enough time to make the correct decision and that there is no follow-up intervention.
“That such failings have already been categorised as “significant human error” is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.
“This is vital for the reliability of future decision-making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again.
“In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”
