⚽️ Liverpool Seek Replay of Tottenham Hotspur Match After VAR Failure

Good afternoon. The history of sport is replete with terrible officiating decisions that led to wrongs that were never righted. Think Don Denkinger in the 1985 World Series. Think the blown pass interference no-call in the 2019 NFL Championship game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams. This stuff happens ALL THE TIME. And almost every time, there are no do-overs. Liverpool, it seems, might just get a do-over.

In the email today:

As the intro to this newsletter indicated, we really cannot believe this story is even a thing. But it is, so let’s go over it.

• Liverpool may push for a replay of their controversial defeat against Tottenham in the Premier League after VAR officials wrongly disallowed a goal by Luis Diaz for offside.

• PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) admitted to a significant human error and released audio of their discussions.

• Sports lawyer Stephen Taylor Heath suggested that the Premier League board has the power to order a match replay if recommended by an appointed commission.

• According to Premier League statutes (rule W1), the board can request further information on possible rule breaches, even those made by officials.

• The released audio indicated that VAR officials initially thought the on-field decision was to award the goal for Liverpool, so when the video replay showed Diaz onside they did nothing because they didn’t realize the offside flag had been raised on the field.

• Liverpool could pressure the Premier League board to convene a commission that might consider various outcomes, including a replay of the match.

• It may be challenging for Liverpool to establish in a legal sense that the mistake directly cost them points.

Our take: Do we really think this match is going to be replayed? No. But once the lawyers get involved, one never knows. And this isn’t a crucial error in, say, yesterday’s Luton Town/Burnley match. This is Liverpool and Spurs, two of the biggest clubs in the league. If a replay like this is ever to happen, it’s probably going to happen in a situation just like this one.

2) 🏴‍☠️ Wolves’ Shirt Sleeve Sponsor in Hot Water with Premier League Over Suspected Pirating

Here at Crossing the Pond HQ, we view illegal streaming like we view (among other things) the following sorts of legal and ethical misdeameanors: tax return irregularities, clearly running a red light (within the speed limit of course), not paying for a soda refill when the sign clearly says “no free refills.” Humans gonna human. But the Premier League has long taken a very stern stance on broadcasts of the league’s matches being accessed for free. That’s why Wolverhampton Wanderers’ shirt sleeve sponsor may be in some trouble.

• Wolves and the Premier League are conducting an investigation into sleeve sponsor 6686 Sport, which has been accused of illegally streaming games on its Chinese language website.

• It is alleged that 6686 Sport offered games from various leagues, including the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Serie A, for free on their website without the proper broadcasting rights.

• Wolves’ partnership deal with 6686 Sport is the club's largest-ever sleeve sponsorship.

• The partnership was officially announced in August, with 6686 Sport's logo appearing on Wolves' home and away kits as well as advertising boards at Molineux, the club's home ground.

• 6686 Sport was also named the club's official Asian betting partner, aiming to support each other's growth in the region and connect with Asian football fans.

Our take: The Prem’s efforts to stamp out illegal streams is equivalent to any major city’s effort to control a rat problem. In fairness, though, it’s one thing if independent actors access EPL match streams and disseminate them. It’s quite another when a company doing business with a Prem club does it. In this instance, the league absolutely seems to be in the right.

3) ❌ of the Day: Bukayo Saka Might Miss Out on Arsenal’s Match with Manchester City 🏥 

4) 🗳️ When Was the Last Time You Took Advantage of an Illegal Stream for a Prem Match?

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

5) 🔗 Links Roundup:

• 👎️ Chelsea’s Reece James was suspended for abusing an official after Chelsea’s loss to Aston Villa, will not play against Burnley on Saturday.

• 🔴 Hey, how is Manchester United’s Champions League campaign going? Not great, Bob!

• 🔫 Arsenal also had a no good, very bad day in UCL play in losing to Lens.

• ⬆️ Burnley left the ranks of the winless by beating Luton Town, leaving Bournemouth and Sheffield United behind at the bottom of the table.

The newsletter today was written by Phil Keidel. Follow Phil on X @philkeidel.

Thanks for reading!