The officials who were in charge of VAR for the Manchester derby on Sunday have been removed from the rota for this weekend’s Premier League action.
The decision has been made by Howard Webb, head of the the refereeing body Pro Ref.
This follows an official statement from them yesterday which admitted that Erling Haaland’s winning goal for Manchester City against Manchester United at Old Trafford should not have been allowed to stand.
The Norwegian pounced onto a Josko Gvardiol cross at the back post in the 60th minute to put the blues in front.
Initially, the linesman raised the offside flag to disallow the strike, however following a lengthy VAR examination it was determined that the goal should be awarded as the outstretched boot of Patrick Dorgu kept the striker onside.
However, dynamic Man City midfielder Enzo Fernandez had drifted into an offside position, interfering with play as he attempted to get his head on the cross before eventually falling to Haaland’s feet.
VAR’s decision caused mass uproar in the media, causing pundits, journalists and fans to vocalise their disagreements with the decision.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Micah Richards voiced his frustration with the officiating: “I think it’s been a bad day for referees. I think it’s been a bad day for VAR. They got this (Haaland goal) wrong. How can you say Enzo Fernandez is not challenging (for the ball)…of course he is.”
The Pro Ref organisation added: “It was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective.
“However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.”
Per IFAB Law 11, a player in an offside position can be penalised for clearly attempting to play the ball (or other obvious actions) if it impacts an opponent, even without touching it.
Following the apologetic statement from Pro Ref, they took further action on Matt Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus – the VAR officials who allowed the goal to stand – by removing them from any fixture until after the following international break on September 21st through to October 6th.
Furthermore, blocking the two officials from officiating any Manchester United games for the foreseeable future.
Despite the fact there has been no confirmation of when they will return to officiating United matches, these punishments show the severity of the mistake and the immediate reaction taken to the matter.
