We're in a goldfish bowl - England on VAR mistake
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
Darren England made it to the Premier League as an assistant referee before becoming a referee, working his way back up from the National League
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.
"That then affects you not as a referee, but as a human being."
After the Diaz mistake, England was immediately removed from selection in the Premier League and began a process of rehabilitation.
It would be almost three months before he refereed a top-flight game again, and he did not return to full rotation until February.
It was a longer road back to the VAR room - six-and-a-half months before he was the video official in the Premier League again.
He was eased back in by the Football Association and given a couple of FA Cup ties with Michael Oliver alongside him as the support VAR.
"I did a lot of work with a sports psychologist," England says. "The support, not just from Pro Ref but more importantly 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."
FA Cup final a 'real honour'
All that focus has paid off, with England the VAR for a decision which was dubbed the 'biggest VAR call ever' as West Ham had a stoppage-time equaliser against Arsenal disallowed on review in May.
England said he "absolutely understood the magnitude" of that decision but "kept calm" under pressure.
Six days later, England took charge of the FA Cup final.
"We're quick to always focus on mistakes and the low points, and how we deal with that," England adds.
"It's one of the targets when you start becoming professional that you want to referee the FA Cup final.
"You only do it once and it's a real honour."
VAR has added a huge amount of additional scrutiny on officials, not just from the press.
England says he will get quizzed by parents on the school run about decisions over the weekend - and not just his own. And then there are the fans online.
"If you want to go searching for good feedback on social media and you're listening to phone-ins, you probably won't find much," England says.
"That can have an impact on how you perform on the field.
"I don't have social media, I made a decision not to. But other people have different preferences and I respect that as well.
"But you have to manage your time accordingly, to be aware that you can never really switch off from football."
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How England became a 'role model'
England's rise from his "lowest" point has been confirmed by his refereeing appointments.
But it has also been made clear by the respect of his colleagues - which BBC Sport saw first-hand at a referees' training camp at Loughborough University.
Hugh Dallas, the Professional Referee Group director, was at the front of the room, preparing to lead a discussion about decisions from the previous weekend. He paused for a moment, then beckoned forward a referee who, he said, had "become a role model".
That was England, who had recently taken charge of his 100th top-flight game. He was greeted with warm applause as he was handed a Premier League presentation box containing a plaque and a medal.
It is a journey that has taken England from his first match in the village of Royston, five miles outside Barnsley, to the top of the game - twice.
England, who qualified as a referee aged 15, is one of a few to come from inside the game, alongside the likes of Farai Hallam and Sam Allison.
He was working at Barnsley's academy, coaching during training in the week and matches on a Sunday, while refereeing on a Saturday.
Eventually, he had to choose between the two as a professional career - refereeing won.
England first made it to the Premier League as an assistant. Then, in 2015 at the age of 28, he decided to start again in the National League as a referee and work back up.
Within four and a half years, he would take charge of his first Premier League fixture.
"I had the chance of potentially going to tournaments (as an assistant), or do I back myself as a referee?" England says. "Thankfully, it paid off."
Referees only get the chance to referee the FA Cup final once - the exception being Anthony Taylor who took charge of the match twice
'We have to keep on improving'
England's progress has been closely monitored by Uefa, which has moved him through the levels as a VAR.
After 10 Conference League appointments, and six in the Europa League, this week he is elevated to the Champions League.
"We work extremely hard, and we continue to work extremely hard to stay at that level," England adds.
"Players in the Premier League, they're getting better and better. So we have to keep on improving as well."
After the honour of taking charge of the FA Cup final, does England have any other goals in his career on the field?
"When I don't have targets, that's probably time to come off the field," he says.
"I want to do all the finals that we can do. So obviously, the Carabao Cup, the Championship play-off final.
"Those games are still in my sights."
Three years ago, refereeing an FA Cup final and being a VAR in the Champions League seemed a world away for England.
Now, he's earned the right to have those targets.
