Darren England, the referee who was at the centre of the infamous Darren England VAR error in the Tottenham vs Liverpool match three years ago, has spoken about the darkest chapter of his career — and his long road back to the top of English officiating.
Darren England (Credits: BBC Sport)
England was acting as the video assistant referee when Luis Diaz scored for Liverpool, only for the goal to be flagged offside. Despite the VAR image clearly showing Diaz was onside, England said “check complete” in a lapse of concentration — and the goal remained disallowed.
The fallout was brutal. “Refereeing is about low points and high points,” England told BBC Sport. “It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. That was a low point. The lowest point, of course.” He suddenly found himself — and his family — in the full glare of the media. Liverpool issued a statement saying “sporting integrity” had been “undermined,” photographers gathered outside his children’s school, and family photographs were taken from his wife’s Facebook account.
From the Darren England VAR Error to the FA Cup Final
Today, the 40-year-old’s career is revived. England is considered one of the most trusted referees in the Premier League, both on the pitch and as a VAR. Throughout 2026 he has been handed some of English football’s biggest matches, including Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley. “So we flip it,” England said. “That was a huge high for me, the pinnacle as a referee.”
On Tuesday, he takes another step forward with his first appointment as a VAR in the Champions League, for the clash between Galatasaray and Stuttgart. It is a remarkable turnaround for an official whose career stalled for months after the Diaz incident.
England described the VAR hub as a “high pressure” and sanitised environment where “mental fatigue” takes its toll. There is no match commentary — just the conversation of the officiating team through headsets. “When you’ve had a busy match, you’re constantly checking everything. You can come out of the hub sometimes and mentally you’re exhausted.”
He also pushed back against the idea that referees shrug off their mistakes. “It couldn’t be further away from the truth,” he said. “It’s a myth that we go home, we switch off. It spoils your weekend if you make a decision that’s had a big impact in the game.”
From the VAR audio of the Diaz incident, it was clear that England and his assistant VAR Dan Cook realised almost immediately what had happened. But the game was only 34 minutes old — they had to get through the next hour. “Once I realised I’d made the error, it’s a really difficult place to try to forget that and move on,” he admitted. “A lot of resilience was needed — a lot of experience as well.”
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
