Premier League referees granted permission to officiate overseas despite substantial error by Darren England

Despite a significant error by referee Darren England in the Tottenham-Liverpool clash, reports suggest that Premier League referees will still be permitted to officiate abroad.

The Telegraph indicates that match officials have received approval to continue freelancing in foreign countries, as an investigation found no direct connection between such activities and the contentious Liverpool offside goal incident.

This incident occurred during Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham in September, where Luis Diaz’s goal was inaccurately disallowed.

Subsequent revelations disclosed that the video assistant referees involved had officiated a match in the United Arab Emirates just two days prior.

In response to the Var crisis, the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd. (PGMOL), in conjunction with the Football Association, has decided to reevaluate the policy allowing referees to oversee games outside of FIFA and UEFA appointments.

Howard Webb, the head of PGMOL, said: “In terms of that specific trip out to the Middle East, there was no link found from that to the error. Of course, we know it created noise.”

Webb further revealed that there will be no blanket ban on the freelancing of referees but each request will be taken up by the PGMOL board and judged on its merits.

The former referee added, “Each request will be evaluated on its own merits. But we’ll only consider an approach from an overseas national federation on the condition that it provides a development opportunity for the officials and that it has no impact at all on their availability to serve the leagues we exist to serve.

“Any such request would need to be approved by the PGMOL board. That’s our position. We’ve had no more requests since that one. Nobody’s been out to do that.”

However, apprehensions have been raised regarding potential conflicts of interest, particularly concerning England and Cook, who have professional ties in the UAE, a nation with strong affiliations with Premier League champions Manchester City.

Conversely, Michael Oliver, despite Newcastle United’s connections to Saudi Arabia, was permitted to officiate in the Saudi Pro League, prompting discussions about the delicate balance between referee assignments and ownership associations.

While concerns persist, it’s important to note that there is no indication of a conflict of interest arising in the specific case of the Spurs-Liverpool match.

It is a customary practise for officials to oversee foreign matches, often on Thursday nights in competitions like the UEFA Europa League, before resuming domestic duties on Saturdays. In such instances, referees who have travelled are typically assigned off-field roles, such as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).