EXCLUSIVE: Premier League blunder referee Darren England is slammed for his ... trends now
Under-fire Premier League referee Darren England has been slammed for his astonishing blunder that led to Liverpool being denied a legitimate goal – as he has been seen for the first time since his suspension over the error.
England has been blasted for his 'critical concentration lapse' and prioritising 'efficiency over accuracy' for his performance during Saturday's match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
In a hard-hitting report, referees' body the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) delivered a damning indictment of England's performance claiming that he rushed a routine situation and 'inexplicably' chalked off Luiz Diaz's disallowed goal.
The report was sent to the Premier League but not disclosed to the public, with England bearing the brunt of the blame while his Video Assistant Referee (VAR) assistant Dan Cook was also criticised for a lack of basic communication.
The referee's body said in its review seen by Mail Sport that the error came from 'a critical lapse in concentration and clear lack of focus… by an individual match official which saw him inexplicably 'check completing' an incorrect on-field decision.'
Criticism of England, who was the VAR for the match, emerged as he was photographed while out for a walk near his £800,000 five-bedroom detached home in a village near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
With a baseball cap pulled down above his eyes and wearing a grey North Face hooded top, the VAR appeared sullen and deep in conversation on his mobile phone.
England has made no public statement since his embarrassing error.
When approached at his home, he told a MailOnline reporter: 'I am sorry, but I have no comment to make.'
Darren England has been photographed while out for a walk near his £800,000 five-bedroom detached home in a village near Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Darren England and his wife Fillipa, 41, have two daughters. Pictures on his wife's Facebook page show them enjoying holidays with their children including a ski trip last February
England is married to Filippa, the director of teaching and learning at a school academy trust
Barnsley-born Darren England made his English Football League debut as a referee in 2015
Darren England's assistant VAR Dan Cook is from Waterlooville in Hampshire and had a wife called Jenna (pictured together at Wembley Stadium), but they have since separated
England, 37, was the leading VAR when his mix-up led to him wrongly advising that Díaz had been correctly ruled offside in the clash in North London.
England's ruling meant that Liverpool were not awarded a goal, to the astonishment of fans and officials from the Merseyside club which went on to lose the match 2-1.
The PGMOL blamed England's shocking decision on a 'significant human error'.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has since called for the match to be replayed.
Land Registry records reveal that England and his wife Filippa, 41, who have two daughters, paid £725,000 in July last year for their luxury home on an exclusive private cul-de-sac.
Filippa is the director of teaching and learning at a school academy trust.
Pictures on his wife's Facebook page show them enjoying sunshine holidays with their children including a break in France this summer and a ski trip last February.
Neighbours of the couple are fiercely protective of the match official and today refused to discuss anything about him.
One neighbour at first denied knowing England, but when a reporter told him that he was from MailOnline, he replied: 'I thought you might be'.
Referee Darren England during another Premier League match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on September 2
PGMOL admitted that a 'significant human error' had led to Luis Diaz's goal being disallowed and have since released the audio of VAR's discussion with the on-field referee to the public
Barnsley-born England made his English Football League debut as a referee in 2015 after officiating at Football Conference games for several years.
He started refereeing Championship matches in the 2016/17 season with his first game being QPR's 2-1 victory over Cardiff in March 2017.
His colleague Cook, 35, is from Waterlooville in Hampshire, and has separated from his glamourous wife Jenna, MailOnline can reveal.
A friend told MailOnline: 'Dan and Jenna are no longer together. They have not been together for a while now.'
A neighbour added: 'I used to see them together all the time but they have separated and I haven't seen Dan for ages.'
It has emerged that England's mistake arose after he incorrectly thought that the on-field referee - Simon Hooper - had awarded Diaz's goal, and that VAR had only been asked to confirm whether it was the right call.
England's wrong assumption meant that he told the on-field team 'check complete' after quickly checking that Diaz was onside.
Hooper took his statement as agreeing with the linesman's decision to put his flag up and rule Diaz as offside.
The Liverpool manager argues with fourth official Michael Oliver (left) after the VAR blunder
England's embarrassing error led to Liverpool winger Luis Díaz being robbed of a goal
The disallowed strike came just three minutes before Son Heung-min's opener for Tottenham
PGMOL released the VAR audio of the disallowed goal on Tuesday night as part of its drive for transparency.
