The referee who became a role model after bouncing back from Diaz error
Referee Darren England shares how he has moved on from the VAR error that stalled his career to the FA Cup final and the Champions League.
If anyone can talk about the highs and lows of being a referee, it is Darren England.
Three years ago, when acting as the video assistant referee (VAR), a blunder in a game between Tottenham and Liverpool stalled his career for months.
Luis Diaz scored for Liverpool, but his goal was flagged as offside. In a lapse of concentration, and despite the VAR image showing Diaz was onside, England said "check complete". The goal remained disallowed.
The South Yorkshire official suddenly found not only himself in the full glare of the media, but his family too.
"Refereeing is about low points and high points," England tells BBC Sport. "It's a rollercoaster of emotions.
"That was a low point. The lowest point, of course."
Today, the 40-year-old's career is revived. He is considered one of the most-trusted referees in the Premier League - both on the field and as a VAR.
Throughout 2026, England has regularly been given some of English football's biggest matches - including Manchester City's 1-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
"So we flip it," England says, moving the conversation along to the game at Wembley. "That was a huge high for me, the pinnacle as a referee."
And on Tuesday, England has been promoted to a VAR in the Champions League for the first time, as Galatasaray take on Stuttgart.
This is the story of his rejuvenation.
In a 'really difficult place' after Diaz error
The game has changed immeasurably in the 11 years since England swapped his flag for a whistle.
England says referees are now "dressed like RoboCop" as they carry so much additional equipment, such as communication devices.
The biggest change has been the introduction of VAR, which had only been in the Premier League for a few months when England refereed Southampton v Wolves in January 2020.
"It's certainly not changed the way I make decisions," England insists. "If I play on on a penalty decision, some people think the perception is 'oh you're waiting for VAR to get involved'.
"No, I've played on because I don't think it's a penalty.
"But I would rather be driving home from a game now thinking, 'OK, I misread it live, I've had the opportunity to go to the screen and we've corrected it'."
England underlines this, rejecting the notion that referees "don't care about football" when they get a decision wrong.
"It couldn't be further away from the truth," he says. "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.
"It can spoil it for longer, of course."
England knows this better than most.
From the VAR audio of the Diaz incident, it was clear England and his assistant VAR, Dan Cook were immediately aware they had made a huge mistake.
But the game was only 34 minutes old. They would have 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," England says.
"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 described how the VAR hub is a "high pressure" and sanitised environment, with "mental fatigue" taking its toll.
There is no match commentary, just the conversation of the officiating team through their headsets.
"You don't have the atmosphere of the crowd," England says. "You hear some of the crowd sometimes, but it's just a noise.
"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."
Diaz controversy 'affected my family as well'
What followed was a period of intense media scrutiny which England - and his family - were not prepared for.
The story dominated newspaper headlines, radio phone-ins and social media coverage for days.
Liverpool issued a statement that said "sporting integrity" had been "undermined".
Photographers gathered outside his children's school to try to get a picture of him for the newspapers.
One story highlighted the value of his home, while family photographs were taken from his wife's Facebook account.
"The aftermath obviously was really difficult to deal with," England says. "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.
