VAR officials dropped after Manchester derby error

Shafaq News- Manchester

The two VAR officials involved in the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s Manchester derby winner have been stood down from Premier League duty after refereeing body Pro Ref admitted an error in the review.

VAR Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus will miss the next round of Premier League matches and are expected to remain unavailable until at least after the international break. It is the first time this season that Premier League officials have been stood down following an acknowledged refereeing error.

The incident came in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. Haaland’s 60th-minute goal was initially ruled out for offside before Donohue overturned the decision after establishing that Patrick Dorgu had played the City striker onside.

The review, however, failed to properly assess Enzo Fernández’s involvement from an offside position. Fernández attempted to play Josko Gvardiol’s cross before it reached Haaland, while United defender Lisandro Martinez reacted to his movement.

Pro Ref later said VAR had made an “error of judgement” by failing to recognize the likely impact of Fernández’s position and should have recommended an on-field review by referee Michael Oliver. The refereeing body contacted Manchester United after the match to acknowledge the mistake and said the incident would be reviewed.