Officials from the English Premier League have taken a unique step in hopes of eliminating referee errors during the current season, which have directly affected the outcomes of some matches. Among the most notable officiating errors this season was the disallowance of a goal for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur (1-2) on Saturday, September 30, 2023, due to offside; however, video replays later confirmed its validity, which the match referee later acknowledged.
The referees' association issued a statement at the time, apologizing to Liverpool and attributing the disallowed goal by Colombian striker Luis Diaz to a significant human error, indicating that the goal should have been awarded with assistance from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). The association decided to replace Darren England, the VAR for the Tottenham vs. Liverpool match, and Dan Cook, his assistant, in the upcoming Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford and Fulham vs. Chelsea matches scheduled for the following day.
Liverpool is preparing for its much-anticipated match against host Manchester City tomorrow, Saturday, in a top clash of the 13th round of the English Premier League.
Before the upcoming match between the two teams, the British newspaper "The Times" reported that the Premier League has decided to enlist a team of British Airways pilots to assist the video referees in the coming period. Regarding the reason for this step, the British newspaper stated that "the pilots are always adept at communicating with other crew members under pressure, which is what referees need in the upcoming period, and they will be given some advice to ensure greater success for the video technology."
According to the source, the pilots emphasized to the referees the necessity of "avoiding praising correct decisions among themselves and ending any informal conversations during the discussion of any play, so as not to distract from the main objective."
