The PGMOL has rejected Ben Foster’s claim that Premier League match officials conspired with Sky Sports to cover up the VAR mistake during Liverpool’s defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The referees’ body has faced severe criticism over the error, in which VAR Darren England misunderstood an on-field decision and allowed a legitimate goal by Liverpool’s Luis Diaz to be chalked off for offside. He failed to alert his colleagues on the pitch, telling his replay operator “there’s nothing I can do” as the match continued. The incident sparked online conspiracy theories around football’s governance plotting against Liverpool. And Foster weighed in when he accused both the PGMOL and its VAR team at Premier League headquarters of putting direct pressure on Sky Sports not to broadcast replays of the incident. Speaking on his YouTube channel Ben Foster - The Cycling GK which has 1.4 million subscribers, the former Premier League goalkeeper said there was only one replay shown of the offside goal in its immediate aftermath, and his suspicions were further raised when the incident was only briefly discussed by Sky Sports’ pundits at half-time. “That tells me Sky are in bed with the people at VAR and [the PGMOL],” he claimed. “Because they must have got straight on the phone and said ‘do not highlight the fact that we’ve cocked up here, do not show it, do not bad-mouth us, do not nothing’. “I guarantee you that’s what’s happened. So that’s why Sky were under direct orders to not say a single word about it.” The Independent understands that the PGMOL feels Foster’s allegations are unfounded and completely untrue. The Premier League’s match centre, rather than the PGMOL, communicates only factual information to broadcasters, and it is understood that the referees’ body has no say or sway in what TV companies show. Indeed Sky Sports would have leapt at the chance to highlight a major VAR mistake, and did so once it had clarification of the error. Sky Sports did not want to comment on Foster’s claims, but sources pointed out that the half-time segment of the programme needed to cover two goals and a red card in an action-packed first half. The broadcaster later read out a PGMOL statement live on air and has since delved into extensive coverage of the incident, unpicking the moment in detail both on its Sky Sports News programmes and during Monday Night Football. Analyst Jamie Carragher criticised the decision by England not to intervene and halt the game once he understood that the wrong decision had been taken. “The bit where I’m really struggling is that they [VAR officials] must know within two seconds because Tottenham have taken a free-kick,” Carragher said. “I’d be screaming at the referee that a mistake has been made but maybe they’re saying they have to wait until the ball goes out of play. They’re saying they stayed with protocol, that they’re not allowed to stop [the match] but I don’t believe that. They panicked, they froze. “I know that’s the rule but that’s a red-tape rule. If they had reversed it, we’d have been praising their leadership. “There’s talk that the officials didn’t know until half-time that a mistake had been made but when that ball goes out of play [after the incident] the look on that referee’s face... it’s a look of something has gone wrong.” The Independent has contacted Foster’s representatives for comment. Read More Man United and Tottenham eye move for Atletico Madrid’s transfer guru Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall signs new long-term contract Manchester City can put a stamp on the season with Arsenal win – Rico Lewis Man United and Tottenham eye move for Atletico Madrid’s transfer guru Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall signs new long-term contract Manchester City can put a stamp on the season with Arsenal win – Rico Lewis

Manchester United have made another improved bid for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, the PA news agency understands. With Mount’s contract at Stamford Bridge set to expire next summer, United have made the England international one of their transfer targets. After an initial bid was rebuffed last week, United returned with an offer of £45million plus £5million in add-ons. It is understood that was also rejected. United’s latest proposal, believed to be in the region of £55m, has now been received by Chelsea, but is yet to be considered. Chelsea are reportedly holding out for higher fee, closer to £65m, but there is a limit as to how far United are willing to go, given the player is soon out of contract and they also need to strengthen in other areas this summer. Completing a deal for Mount would certainly help bolster the options for United boss Erik ten Hag in a key midfield area. Mount came through the ranks at Chelsea, scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances. The 24-year-old – a Champions League winner with the Blues – has won 36 England caps and started the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Casemiro admits his ambition is to return Manchester United to the top of the game and says he enjoys the role of being a leader.

Francisco Mejía had an eighth-inning sacrifice fly and the major league-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 on Friday night

Spire has driven the price of a charter at NASCAR's top level reportedly to $40 million

Chelsea on Saturday completed the signing of Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Premier League rivals Brighton...

Today on The Whiteboard, we're running through the latest NBA news, including new coaching hires, NBA Draft prospects to know and the Nuggets' place in history.The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of their first NBA title, with three more chances to get their series-clinching win. But w...

The Chicago White Sox are in free fall, while the Atlanta Braves need pitching help. A Lucas Giolito trade makes a lot of sense.As much as fans on Chicago's south side would prefer otherwise, the White Sox are clear sellers this season. The young Sox core of just a few years ago is set to h...

A stadium financing bill aimed at drawing the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas cleared one hurdle Tuesday after passing the Nevada Senate — with requirements strengthening its benefits to the community

David de Gea has confirmed his departure from Manchester United.

Logan Paul has candidly shared his concerns about the fight against Dillon Danis after months of him trolling his fiancée, Nina Agdal. Despite claiming he "won the war," Danis lost the fight against Paul due to being disqualified. On Saturday (14 October) at Manchester's AO Arena, Paul defeated Danis after a mass brawl broke out in the ring, prompting security to act. It comes after months of cruel trolling against model Agdal, who resorted to filing a lawsuit against Danis. Paul has since spoken out about the fight, apologising for what his fiancée had to go through. "I think Dillion perfectly embodies the problem with society," he wrote on X/Twitter. "All s*** talk behind a screen. No action. Just another peasant running his mouth contributing nothing to this world but negativity. So happy I got to expose this clown". Now, he has spoken about the incident on an episode of his podcast Impaulsive. When asked if he regretted choosing Danis as his opponent for the fight, he admitted: “I do. I lied in the build-up when I said I didn’t regret choosing him as a partner.” "I’m eternally sorry for Nina. I’ll spend the rest of my life apologizing if I have to for putting her through that kind of torment. It’s inhumane what he did. She’ll hold him accountable." The YouTuber and Prime founder also empathised with Agdal, explaining that no fight or promotion has ever seen the type of build-up that she had to go through. "This is gnarly," he wrote on social media. "And no fighter, I think, has a partner who can be exploited in the way that Nina can." "She’s a public figure, you know, and with that comes the limelight and a lot of responsibility that a lot of fighters aren’t able to do with their opponent as their wives don’t have an independently self-made career. He was able to exploit it in a way that worked for the build-up but it kind of hurts. It hurts, personally." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Saints quarterback Derek Carr is back at practice but remains in the concussion protocol as New Orleans prepares to play at Atlanta