Club Brugge call for replay after VAR goal error

Published on: 11 December 2023

Club Brugge have lost one in their last 11 games in all competitions

Club Brugge have requested a replay after the video assistant referee failed to award them a goal in their game against KV Mechelen on Sunday.

Igor Thiago's header in the 72nd minute was disallowed for offside and the VAR did not intervene to correct what Club Brugge say was a "wrongful" decision.

Replays supported the club's argument, and the Pro League match finished 0-0.

The club filed a complaint to Belgium's professional referee department, which has acknowledged a "human error".

This situation has echoes of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp suggesting there should be a replay after a VAR error during the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Tottenham in September.

English referees' body PGMOL described the decision to rule out Luis Diaz's goal as a "significant human error".

Liverpool said at the time they would "explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution". They did not formally call for a replay, though, and the result still stands.

Club Brugge, whose head coach is former Celtic boss Ronny Deila, believe they deserve an opportunity to try again against Mechelen.

"It seems important to [the club] that this mistake does not remain without consequences," Club Brugge stated.

"Club [Brugge] can accept that a human error happens on the field. However, this is not a matter of human error but of a professional-technical error.

"The VAR was created to remove human errors from the match in match-defining phases, through technical aids. If the VAR makes such a match-defining error that cannot be interpreted, this must be regarded as a professional-technical error and, if necessary, the match must be replayed."

The club, who sit sixth in the Belgian top flight, have also called for communication from the VAR room to be released.

Source: bbc.com

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