VAR officials from the Manchester derby not appointed to matches next weekend
Ghanaian outlet MyJoyOnline, citing the BBC, reported that Manchester derby video assistant referee Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus have not been appointed to Premier League matches next weekend. The decision was made by Pro Ref chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and the management team.
Decision after VAR error
This happened after Pro Ref acknowledged an “error in assessment” in allowing Erling Haaland’s winning goal for Manchester City in the match against Manchester United on Sunday.
In the 60th minute, Haaland sent the ball into the net at the far post after a cross from Joško Gvardiol. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but after VAR intervention it was awarded: the Norwegian was deemed not to have been offside due to the position of Patrick Dorgu’s boot.
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The Fernandes incident
Discussion was sparked by an incident involving City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position and attempted to head the ball in the central area before Haaland completed the attack.
Pro Ref stated that Fernandez did not play the ball, so the possible offside offence required a subjective assessment. At the same time, the organization noted that VAR did not take into account the possible impact of the player’s position and should have recommended that the referee review the incident on the pitch.
Manchester City, who had played with 10 men since the 23rd minute following Phil Foden’s sending-off, won and maintained a 100% record after four league matches.
