VAR officials Darren England and Daniel Cook are poised to return to Premier League action this weekend, per a report from Sky Sports.
Their return follows their highly scrutinised error in the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool last month that left football fans and pundits in disbelief.
The controversy arose with England and Cook at the helm as VAR and VAR assistant during Liverpool’s encounter with Tottenham.
Liverpool’s Colombian forward Luis Diaz scored, but the goal was unjustly ruled out for offside.
Both officials were removed from officiating games the following week following the controversial decision.
However, England will return as the fourth official for Brentford’s upcoming clash with Burnley on Saturday.
Cook will resume his duties as an assistant referee in the Sheffield United and Manchester United match.
Their error was attributed to a regrettable miscommunication between VAR England and on-field referee Simon Hooper.
England erroneously interpreted the initial call as a goal, leading him to prematurely signal to Hooper that the video check was complete – a gross oversight.
Upon realising their grievous error in judgment, England and Cook found themselves in a helpless situation, unable to rectify their mistake as the game had already resumed.
As the replay operator implored them to intervene, England said he couldn’t do anything.
Hooper is the designated VAR for Newcastle United’s home match against Crystal Palace on Saturday and will be responsible for ensuring the incident does not repeat itself.
The impending return of England and Cook to Premier League after only one week of suspension will lead to plenty of scrutiny in their respective matches.
