If you thought you had heard the last of the VAR discourse surrounding Liverpool's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, you were sorely mistaken.
Luis Diaz's goal against Spurs was wrongly ruled out for offside after a VAR howler - just in case you had somehow missed it - with the Reds justifiably frustrated at a decision that cost them Premier League points.
However, the conspiracy theorists have been out in their droves, with a social media frenzy stirring up strong reactions from football fans across the globe.
To pour even more fuel on the already out-of-control fire, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has now stated he believes his side's clash with Tottenham should be replayed as a result of the error. While the German admitted there was little chance of his wish coming true, he hasn't ruled out a formal request being made to the Premier League.
But is there any precedent for matches being replayed in the Premier League due to officiating errors?
Have any Premier League matches been replayed due to refereeing mistakes?
Despite some gargantuan refereeing gaffes throughout the Premier League's 31-year history, no game has ever been replayed due to an officiating error. That doesn't bode particularly well for Klopp.
There is precedent in other competitions, however. A famous FA Cup fifth round tie between Arsenal and Sheffield United back in 1999 was famously replayed, albeit not due to a refereeing mistake.
Arsenal and Sheffield United were drawing 1-1 when the ball was put out of play for United's Lee Morris to receive treatment for an injury. However, when Ray Parlour gave the ball to teammate Nwankwo Kanu so he could return possession to the Blades, the Nigerian forward instead squared for Marc Overmars who put the ball in the back of the net to give Arsenal the lead.
An on-field melee ensued, but the game was eventually played out, with Arsenal winning 2-1. However, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger offered Sheffield United a replay after the final whistle, which the Blades gladly accepted. Arsenal won the replay by the same scoreline to pour salt in United wounds.
Much, much, much further down the football pyramid, there is another example, and on this occasion it was purely because of a referee's error.
Back in 2006, Edgware Town saw their clash with Harefield United in the Spartan South Midlands League replayed. Edgware were a goal behind when they won and scored a penalty in the second half, but the referee disallowed the goal due to an infringement from an Edgware player. However, because the referee should have simply made the kick be re-taken instead of awarding a free-kick to Harefield, the SSM League ordered a replay after a successful appeal from Edgware.
Could the Tottenham vs Liverpool game be replayed?
Speaking before Liverpool's game with Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League, Klopp stated: "The audio [released by the PGMOL of the VAR decision] didn't change it at all. It is an obvious mistake. There should be solutions for that. The outcome should be a replay. But it probably won't happen.
"The argument against that would be it opens the gates. It is unprecedented. I'm used to wrong and difficult decisions, but something like this never happened."
Under its 'Protocol - principles, practicalities and procedures' section, IFAB - the International Football Association Board - sets out the following criteria.
In principle, a match is not invalidated because of:
- malfunction(s) of the VAR technology (as for goal line technology (GLT))
- wrong decision(s) involving the VAR (as the VAR is a match official)
- decision(s) not to review an incident
- review(s) of a non-reviewable situation/decision
Despite a replay looking unlikely at this point, sports lawyer Stephen Taylor Heath has claimed it is possible.
The co-head of Sports Law at JMW Solicitors said: "Rule L18 outlines that the Premier League board has the power to order a league match to be replayed provided that recommendation to that effect has been made by a commission under rule W51.
"In addition to this, under rule W1, the Premier League's board has the power to inquire about any suspected breach of rules, including those made by a match official, while rule N4 ensures that each match official agrees to be bound by the laws of the game as well as any protocols and FA rules."
He added: "There is therefore a possibility that Liverpool could lobby the Premier League board to convene a commission which would have the power, among others, to order the match to be replayed."
How far Liverpool and Klopp are willing to take the matter remains to be seen, but reports suggest the Premier League would reject any proposal for the game to be replayed.
READ MORE ON THE FALLOUT AND CONTROVERSY FROM TOTTENHAM 2-1 LIVERPOOL
This article was originally published on 90min as Has a Premier League game ever been replayed for referee decisions?.
