Mo Abby is a Dutch computer systems engineer and a video replay operator who decided to speak out against the recent Liverpool VAR debacle, find out more about him and Oli Kohout
Mo Abby who is tasked as a replay operator, does not normally speak during VAR discussions but called for a delay after realising the severity of the error.
Who are Mo Abby and Oli Kohout VAR operators heard in Liverpool FC vs Tottenham viral audio recording
The replay operator & PGMOL Hub operator wanted the game delayed so the error was corrected & goal awarded.
The VAR ref & assistant insisted they can't do anything cos the game had restarted.
The two non-referees had more sense than the actual fucking officials.
Grim.#LFC pic.twitter.com/NLtPBXwJgq
— Made 4 Liverpool (@same_old_Fritz) October 3, 2023
The operator isn’t Oli, the operator in the room is Mo Abby, he’s the one who’s saying are you happy with this it was called offside etc and that his effective boss, Oli Kohout, was calling him from outside the box to get the match officials to stop the game
— JJR (@Rimbeux) October 4, 2023
Just recently, PGMOL released the VAR audio for the Liverpool vs Tottenham match where everyone could hear Mo Abby’s voice requesting a delay, prompting an interest in his identity.
Mo Abby bio and age
Mo Abby is a 30-year-old computer systems engineer who was born on April 1993 in Heesch, Netherlands. He currently works as the advanced systems lead at Hawk-Eye Innovations. Hawk-Eye Innovations are the technology partners of the PGMOL referees’ organisation and offer VAR services to Premier League, FIFA, and UEFA competitions. Just recently, Mo Abby was heard asking whether the confused VAR Darren England and his assistant Dan Cook were “happy” with the outcome of their decisions.
Mo Abby education and profession
According to his LinkedIn page, Abby “majored” in computer system engineering, and graduated from the University of Westminster in 2016. Prior to that, he attended the Tower Hamlets College from 2009 – 2011 and studied Business Study and Psychology. He has since worked at Hawk-Eye for the past five years currently serving as the advanced systems lead.
Mo Abby speaks up on PGMOL live-feed
As a replay operator, Abby’s role during matchdays does not require him to speak during discussions between officials. However, during the recent debacle, Abby recognised the severity of the situation and decided to speak out. He protested to the official’s making the decision, saying that “Oli” advises to delay the game. “Oli” refers to Oli Kohout, who is Abby’s boss and the VAR hub operations executive for PGMOL.
The Dutch VAR operator spoke out in hopes of stopping the officiating mistake where the referee disallowed Luis Diaz’s goal. However, match official Simon Cook decided to ignore the advice from Abby and went on with their decision. In fact, Cook and the other VAR officials were likely surprised to hear Abby speaking on the live-feed.
Official statement from PGMOL
Following the debacle, PGMOL issued an official statement where they apologized for their incorrect decisions:
PGMOL can confirm that we have carried out a review into the circumstances which led to the Luis Diaz goal being incorrectly disallowed for offside in the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC.
“We recognise standards fell short of expectations and acknowledged the error to Liverpool immediately after the conclusion of the fixture.
According to the statement, PGMOL have submitted a detailed report of the key learnings and immediate actions taken, along with the audio between the on-field officials and VAR team to the Premier League. It stated that PGMOL also shared it with Liverpool FC as well as other Premier League Clubs.