The Premier League’s own regulations stipulate that such a judgment is possible, but the incensed Reds have not requested that the game be replayed after the officials’ error led to Luis Diaz’s goal being disallowed.
Following Saturday night’s embarrassing blunder, the referees’ organization PGMOL is working to be as open as possible and will soon release the audio of the incident. However, this won’t happen until Liverpool has had a chance to examine the communications that occurred between the referee Simon Hooper, the VAR Darren England, and his assistant Dan Cook.
Although Hooper worked as the fourth official in Monday night’s match between Fulham and Chelsea, indicating that he has been cleared, PGMOL has suspended both England and Cook.
The Reds have not requested that the game be replayed, but they did say in a carefully crafted statement that they would “explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”
According to experts, they have already sought legal counsel, and if they decide to request a rerun of the game after listening to the audio, there is a way to make such request.
Stephen Taylor Heath, co-head of Sports Law at JMW Solicitors, told Mirror Football that rule L18 “outlines that the Premier League board has the power to order a league match to be replayed provided that a recommendation to that effect has been made by a commission under rule W51.”
Rule N4 assures that each match official agrees to be governed by the laws of the game as well as any procedures and FA rules, and Rule W1 gives the Premier League board the ability to examine any alleged rule violation, including those committed by a match official.
Liverpool may therefore ask the Premier League board to form a commission with the power to, among other things, order a rematch of the game.
A beginning point would often be to demonstrate a contractual link between the club and the officials that has been broken or a duty of care and carelessness producing loss in order to mount a broad legal case outside of the Premier League regulations.
It would be difficult for Liverpool to argue that they were penalized in these circumstances, and the full impact of the referee’s mistake would not be known until the season was over.
Given the countless scenarios that could have occurred had the goal stood, Taylor Heath continued, “It has been established that sports participants owe a duty of care to one another – such as personal injury – but it would be very difficult for Liverpool to establish that the error itself cost them points in a legal sense. For example, it is not the same as a horse race where the error is as to the winner at the end of a race.
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