Comedian and actor Omid Djalili has criticized Gary Neville‘s response to Liverpool’s statement regarding the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) controversy.
Neville, the former Manchester United defender, and current football pundit, initially voiced his disapproval of key decisions during the Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur match, stating that Curtis Jones’ red card was unwarranted and describing PGMOL’s error in disallowing a Luis Diaz goal as “horrendous.”
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Liverpool later released a statement acknowledging the error but strongly criticizing VAR’s shortcomings and its impact on the Premier League’s sporting integrity.
In response, Neville changed his stance, expressing empathy for the mistake but asserting that Liverpool’s statement was a “mistake” and that PGMOL’s apology should suffice.
This shift in Neville’s perspective caused confusion and led to disagreements on social media.
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Omid Djalili on the VAR and Gary Neville controversy
Djalili strongly responded to Neville’s post on the matter.
“Gary’s hands are tied so he’s spouting corporate nonsense here and minimising a major incident. I was at #CFCWHU [Chelsea vs West Ham] Sept last year what would have been a good last min West Ham equaliser was chalked off for a supposed foul by Jarrod Bowen on CFC keeper Mendy in the build up.
The decision was scandalous and the referee’s body PGMOL have since apologised for the decision. But judging a foul is NOT as clear cut as judging offside. This is the first time a goal has been wrongly chalked off on an offside decision.
Football fans have reacted because you’re either offside or you’re not. As lovers of the game, we have every right to know exactly what went wrong. That it doesn’t happen again is also how the game evolves.”
Said Djalili
Djalili emphasized that football fans, as lovers of the game, have the right to know what went wrong in such cases to prevent future occurrences.
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He provided an analogy related to air crashes, suggesting that transparency is essential to understanding the mistake.
In the world of football, this transparency should involve releasing the conversations between VAR and the referee to the public.
Djalili maintained that Liverpool, as a club affected by the incorrect decision, has the right to demand transparency and find out exactly what went wrong.
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In conclusion, Djalili argued that in a post-VAR era, uncharted territory, various outcomes should be considered to address such mistakes, including the possibility of replaying the game.
He criticized the use of a “human error” apology to close the incident, which is precisely what VAR was introduced to prevent.
Liverpool is my Religion and Anfield is my Church. 17th May 1996 the date I had my blood coloured red. The one you love the most you can not live without it and that is football to me.
