Luis Diaz VAR offside blunder in Tottenham vs Liverpool game 'not a sackable offence' according to Gary Neville as PGMOL stand down two officials involve

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville says that the VAR blunder in Tottenham's victory over Liverpool on Saturday «isn't a sackable offence.»

WHAT HAPPENED? Reflecting on the previous day's remarkable events at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where a Luis Diaz goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside, Neville called for a calmer discussion around the use of VAR and was empathetic towards the two officials stood down for their error.

WHAT THEY SAID: The former-Manchester United defenderposted on X (formerly Twitter): «The VAR mistake was a really bad one. However we’ve all been demanding quicker decisions and I think they have tried to enforce speed in decision making. Speed will cause inaccuracy and it’s now about a rebalance.

»The two officials have been taken off their next games. Imagine how they feel this morning and let’s be human. There should be consequence for such errors but in my opinion a couple of games out is more than enough. Think of it as a player suspension for a sending off. This isn’t a sackable offence by any stretch so let’s remove that language"

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Given the fevered reaction to yet another officiating error and the frenzied debate around the implementation of VAR, Neville's measured tone is welcome. But the botching of a straightforward offside decision has done little to instil confidence in a system that has stirred rather than quelled controversy since its introduction in 2019.

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WHAT NEXT FOR VAR? Howard Webb and his PGMOL colleagues will be hoping today's fixture between Nottingham Forest and Brentford and Chelsea's Monday night trip to Fulham pass with little incident.