The VAR officials at the center of the controversial decision to allow Erling Haaland’s winning goal in Sunday’s Manchester derby have been pulled from duty for the next round of Premier League matches. Matt Donohue, the lead VAR, and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus will not be assigned to a match before the international break after Pro Ref acknowledged that the team made an “error of judgement” in overturning the original offside decision.
The decision came one day after Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford despite playing more than an hour with 10 men. It was a huge result for City, but Haaland’s 60th-minute winner immediately became the defining talking point because the VAR review focused on whether Haaland himself was offside while appearing to overlook the involvement of teammate Enzo Fernández.
Why Haaland’s Goal Became So Controversial
Josko Gvardiol sent a low cross into the penalty area, and Haaland finished at the back post. The assistant referee immediately raised his flag for offside, but VAR Donohue reviewed the decision and used semi-automated offside technology to determine that Haaland was actually kept onside by the outstretched foot of Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu.
The problem was Fernández. The Manchester City midfielder was in an offside position and made a clear attempt to play the cross, although he did not touch the ball. His movement appeared to affect both Lisandro Martínez and goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and Pro Ref subsequently acknowledged that VAR failed to recognize the “likely impact” of Fernández’s position. The refereeing body said Donohue should have recommended that referee Michael Oliver review the incident himself at the pitchside monitor.
That distinction is important. VAR did not get Haaland’s position wrong. The admitted error was failing to properly judge whether Fernández’s offside position constituted interference with an opponent.
Officials Removed After High-Profile Mistake
Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb and the Pro Ref management team made the decision to remove Donohue and Antrobus from the upcoming Premier League schedule. Reports say the pair will not return to Premier League duty until after the international break, although the move has not been described as a formal suspension.
Pro Ref also contacted Manchester United shortly after the derby to acknowledge the error. United manager Michael Carrick had already described the explanation surrounding Fernández as “staggering,” while former United striker Wayne Rooney called the decision “baffling” and strongly criticized the wider use of VAR.
The officials’ removal does not change the result. Manchester City keep the three points and their perfect start to the Premier League season, while United are left wondering how a goal that was initially ruled out could survive a lengthy VAR review only for the refereeing body to admit afterward that the review itself went wrong.
For Pro Ref, the incident is another test of whether VAR can provide consistency in precisely the kind of subjective offside-interference situations that technology cannot settle on its own.
Premier League VAR Officials Pulled From Duty After Haaland Goal Error