VAR Official Removed After Haaland's Derby Goal Controversy
The VAR at the centre of the storm over Erling Haaland’s decisive Manchester derby goal has been removed from Premier League duty for the coming weekend.
Matt Donohue, who led the video review that overturned an initial offside call and allowed Haaland’s strike to stand at Old Trafford, has not been selected for any top-flight fixture. His assistant in the booth that day, Blake Antrobus, has also been left off the appointments list.
Pro Ref, English football’s refereeing body, admitted after Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Manchester United that an “error of judgement” had been made in the application of VAR on the only goal of the game.
This will be the first Premier League matchday of the season that Donohue, 37, misses. He had been a regular presence on the technology, working as VAR for Brighton & Hove Albion’s opening-day win over Aston Villa, Sunderland’s victory over Fulham and Newcastle United’s draw with Bournemouth. He is also not involved in this week’s Carabao Cup ties.
The call to stand him and Antrobus down was taken by Pro Ref’s chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and the organisation’s management team. It means neither official will return before the upcoming international break at the earliest.
Controversy Surrounding Haaland's Goal
The controversy centres on Haaland’s second-half goal. The on-field team initially ruled it out for offside, with the Manchester City striker appearing beyond full-back Patrick Dorgu as the cross came in, while Enzo Fernandez moved towards the ball from an offside position.
VAR intervened. After a check, Donohue advised that Haaland was onside and that the goal should stand, judging that Fernandez, though offside, had not played the ball.
On Sunday evening, a Pro Ref spokesperson accepted that the VAR team had misread the situation, saying Donohue “did not recognise the likely impact of his (Fernandez’s) position and should have recommended an on-field review”.
The body contacted Manchester United to acknowledge what it called an “error of judgement” and confirmed that the incident will be formally reviewed.
Premier League regulations are clear on the type of scenario at the heart of the debate: “a player will be penalised if they are clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent”. In this case, Fernandez was being tracked by Lisandro Martinez, whose attention on the midfielder left Haaland unmarked at the back post.
During the match, the Premier League match centre set out its interpretation in real time: “VAR checked the referee’s call of no goal for offside – and determined that Haaland was in an onside position and recommended that the goal was awarded. The VAR also deemed that while in an offside position, Fernandez didn’t play the ball.”
Now the officials involved step aside, the decision goes under the microscope, and the debate over how VAR judges “impact” on opponents will only grow louder the next time a title race or a season turns on a similar call.
