The VAR officials involved in the controversial Manchester derby have been dropped from this weekend’s Premier League fixtures after Pro Ref admitted an “error of judgment” over Manchester City’s winning goal against Manchester United.
VAR Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus will not receive appointments for the next round of Premier League matches following their handling of Erling Haaland’s decisive goal in City’s 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
The pair are not expected to return to top-flight duty until after the international break.
Unpacking the controversy
Haaland’s 60th-minute finish was initially ruled out for offside, but Donohue overturned the decision after determining the striker had been played onside by Patrick Dorgu.
However, Man City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was also in an offside position and attempted to play the ball before it reached Haaland.
Pro Ref subsequently acknowledged that Fernandez’s position should have been considered more carefully and that Donohue should have recommended an on-field review.
READ MORE: Manchester United vs Brighton betting tips, predictions and how to watch
Pundits react
Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison backed the decision to remove the officials from this weekend’s games.
“That’s the right decision. It makes sense,” Morrison told Sky Sports.
“If you make a big mistake you have to get punished. They still should be able to ref again despite it being a big mistake, but you can’t keep making these mistakes because instead of talking about the game we’re talking about a big mistake which cost Man Utd.”
Jamie Carragher also criticised the handling of the incident, believing the officials became too focused on establishing whether Haaland was onside.
“It’s a bad one. We all look at it and it looks offside. Haaland looks offside but we know he’s not. Then when you break it down, it is poor from the officials,” Carragher said.
“It seems to me they’ve become obsessed with Haaland being onside. They haven’t gone into as much detail with Fernandez in the middle and understanding of his impact on it.”
READ NEXT: Daniel Farke hails ‘outstanding’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin after Leeds Utd thrash Newcastle Utd
