The official responsible for one of the biggest VAR blunders of all time has spoken out

A referee has opened up about the personal toll his infamous VAR error in a Tottenham game had on him. Darren England was the video assistant referee who mistakenly failed to overturn Luis Diaz's disallowed goal for Liverpool at Spurs in 2023.

Despite a VAR image showing Diaz was clearly onside, a lapse in concentration led England to say "check complete" and not overturn the original decision. The mix-up left Liverpool, who lost 2-1, furious and England embarrassed.

The official, who called the error the "low point" of his career, then had to get through the rest of the game, which was just 34 minutes old, knowing he had made a huge blunder.

He told the BBC: "Once I realised I'd made the error, it's a really difficult place to try to forget that and move on. I can't just physically stand up and walk out and leave it alone. A lot of resilience was needed, a lot of experience as well."

England was then stood down from Premier League duty for three months, while it was six-and-a-half months before he was back on VAR duty. The 40-year-old admits the scrutiny and criticism were hard for him and his family to deal with.

To his credit, England has since revived his career and is now regarded as one of the top officials in the country, both on the pitch and in the Stockley Park video bunker.

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He said: "The aftermath obviously was really difficult to deal with. It was challenging because it's the goldfish bowl of the Premier League.

"But when mistakes happen, then you're in the public eye and criticism's inevitably going to come your way. That was difficult because it affected my family as well.

"We had people outside my girls' school, journalists and things like that. That then affects you not as a referee, but as a human being."

England, who took charge of this year's FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea, turned to a sports psychologist for help. He added: "The support, not just from Pro Ref (the referees' body) but, more importantly, from family and friends, was really crucial.

"It's about perspective as well. There's a danger that we can think we're saving lives at times, but we also realise how important it is.

"I remained as focused as I could be, working hard, trusting myself, because for all that decision in the Liverpool-Tottenham game, I've made hundreds of other decisions that are correct."

England will be on VAR duty for Fulham vs Newcastle this weekend.