The Premier League, one of the most prestigious soccer leagues in Europe, encountered a shocking incident last weekend during Gameweek 7. And the entire Formula 1 community, including Pierre Gasly, couldn’t help but relate it to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton was obstructed from winning his eighth world championship title in an unfair manner.
Before we reveal what Gasly actually said, here’s a bit of context to the controversy that blew up in the Premier League. Title-contenders Liverpool F.C. were forced to acknowledge defeat against the refreshing new squad of Tottenham Hotspur at the Hotspur Stadium in London after a bizarre miscommunication denied Klopp-led squad what could’ve been a potentially match-winning goal.
A clear on-side pass was ruled off-side by the linesman, leading to a check by the VAR officials. However, weirdly enough, the officials assumed the linesman’s ruling was on-side and hence, eventually acknowledged the referee’s decision with a ‘go ahead’. Hence, the referee blew the whistle with his arms straight up in the air and officially ruled it off-side.
🚨 @PremierLeague release official VAR audio from Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal vs Tottenham.
Full statement: https://t.co/buvq5mG2q3 pic.twitter.com/a8zjGgcOCO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 3, 2023
It wasn’t until seconds later that the VAR officials came to their senses and realized what had just happened. However, quite unfortunately, it was a tad too late for the officials to stop the game, as the Premier League issued an apology to Liverpool along with the conversation between the VAR officials and the referee. Of course, F1 fans are now demanding a similar response from the FIA.
Pierre Gasly admits the Liverpool-Spurs game resembled the Lewis Hamilton heartbreak
Ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend, Gasly admitted to having discussions with his colleagues about the incidents that took place between Liverpool and Tottenham. However, the Frenchman couldn’t help but acknowledge the inevitable mistakes in the sporting world and nothing can really be done to avoid it.
“Liverpool was a bit of a surprise and definitely a talking point for the weekend coming here. We had the conversation last night, and you know, it was definitely listening the comments that were made, you know, and poor decisions,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“The thing with Liverpool was a bit of a surprise”
“There were definitely some thoughts about Abu Dhabi 2021”Pierre Gasly has his say on Liverpool’s controversial VAR incident 📺 pic.twitter.com/dHXn6pPqwN
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 4, 2023
“There were definitely some thoughts about Abu Dhabi 2021 and how sometimes things it’s a sport and referees also make mistakes. And I must say it’s tough to swallow when you’re on the wrong side of it. But, it’s poor even though it should not happen, it does.”
Overall, the Premier League has allegedly denied Liverpool’s plead for a replay. While a similar response could arrive from the FIA assuming Hamilton makes a similar move, there is still a chance that the FIA might at least reveal the behind-the-scenes that unfolded during the penultimate lap of the race in Abu Dhabi.
