The controversy surrounding Premier League refereeing has erupted once again, and this time former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has turned his attention directly toward Darren England after reviewing footage from Liverpool’s recent match.
Hackett’s assessment was anything but gentle. After examining the incident involving Cody Gakpo, he questioned how such a decision could have been allowed to stand, describing the call as extremely difficult to understand.
And for Liverpool supporters, the name Darren England immediately brings back uncomfortable memories. 😬
England was the VAR official during Liverpool’s infamous meeting with Tottenham in September 2023, when Luis Díaz’s perfectly legitimate goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside. PGMOL later admitted that the incident was a “significant human error”, acknowledging that VAR had failed to intervene.
That mistake became one of the most damaging VAR controversies in Premier League history. Liverpool ultimately lost the match 2–1, while England and assistant VAR Dan Cook were subsequently stood down from their next assignments.
Fast-forward to the latest controversy, and the debate has once again shifted toward a question football fans have been asking for years:
What exactly is VAR supposed to be fixing? 🤔
Technology was introduced to reduce major officiating mistakes. Yet supporters continue to see situations where multiple camera angles are available, slow-motion replays can be watched repeatedly, and highly trained officials are sitting inside the VAR room… only for a decision that appears obvious to millions watching at home to remain unchanged. 📺😤
That is where the frustration really comes from.
Nobody expects referees to get every decision right. Football is fast, chaotic and full of split-second judgment calls. But when an incident can be replayed from several angles and analysed frame by frame, the expectation is naturally much higher.
And Liverpool have certainly experienced the painful side of that equation before.
The Díaz incident was so serious that PGMOL publicly acknowledged the failure, while Liverpool themselves expressed concerns about the process and the lack of sufficient time being given to reach the correct decision.
The Premier League has since pushed for greater transparency around VAR, including the release of referee communications and explanations of controversial decisions. Yet criticism has continued, with even recent VAR reviews showing that officials can still disagree, miss incidents or reach conclusions that leave supporters scratching their heads.
🔥 And that is why Hackett’s criticism is hitting such a nerve.
When a former senior figure from the refereeing world looks at footage and essentially asks how the officials arrived at a particular decision, it adds another layer to the debate.
For Liverpool fans, the patience is understandably wearing thin.
For everyone else, the bigger concern is the credibility of Premier League officiating as a whole.
VAR was supposed to bring clarity.
Instead, in too many cases, it has brought another argument.
Another replay.
Another explanation.
And another furious debate after the final whistle. 😭📺
The real challenge for PGMOL isn’t simply admitting mistakes after they happen. It is making sure the same types of mistakes don’t keep happening.
Because supporters can forgive human error.
What they struggle to forgive is avoidable human error when the technology is sitting right there. 👀🔴
And with another Liverpool refereeing controversy now under the microscope, the pressure on England, VAR and PGMOL is once again enormous. 🚨
Liverpool fans, was this decision genuinely baffling, or are referees and VAR officials being judged too harshly? 👇🔥
