Darren England earns first Champions League VAR appointment

Darren England has received his first Champions League appointment as a video assistant referee, with the English official assigned to Galatasaray against Stuttgart on Tuesday, BBC Sport reported. The promotion follows 10 VAR appointments in the Conference League and six in the Europa League, adding a new competition to his European officiating record.

Watch the highlights:

The 40-year-old also refereed Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Chelsea in this year's FA Cup final. His Champions League selection comes three years after his error during Tottenham's match against Liverpool, when Luis Diaz's goal was incorrectly disallowed. Although the video image showed Diaz was onside, England's communication did not correct the on-field offside decision and the goal remained ruled out.

In an interview with BBC Sport, England described the consequences of that mistake for both his career and his family. He said journalists gathered outside his children's school, while the report also detailed the use of family photographs from his wife's social media account. England said the attention affected him beyond his professional role and made the aftermath particularly difficult.

His return to Premier League duties took place in stages. He went almost three months without refereeing a top-flight match and did not resume full rotation until February. His next Premier League assignment as the video official came six and a half months after the error. Before that return, the Football Association assigned him FA Cup matches with Michael Oliver working alongside him as support VAR.

England told the BBC that work with a sports psychologist, together with help from family, friends and his refereeing organisation, supported his recovery. He also described the mental demands of working in the VAR hub, where officials follow their colleagues' headset conversations without match commentary. Busy matches can leave officials mentally exhausted, he said, while mistakes can continue to affect them long after a game ends.

England recently reached another milestone by refereeing his 100th Premier League match. BBC Sport reported that colleagues marked the achievement at a training camp at Loughborough University, where he received a plaque and medal. Having already taken charge of an FA Cup final, he said the Carabao Cup final and Championship play-off final remain among his ambitions on the field.