Derby VAR Officials Dropped After Haaland Goal Error — SkimNews
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- Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus were not appointed for this weekend's Premier League games following Pro Ref's admission of an 'error of judgement' in the Manchester derby.
- Howard Webb, Pro Ref's chief refereeing officer, and the management team made the decision not to assign the pair to upcoming fixtures.
- Erling Haaland scored in the 60th minute at Old Trafford, turning in a shot from Josko Gvardiol's cross at the back post to secure City's victory.
- Pro Ref acknowledged the goal was initially disallowed for offside but ruled Haaland onside because Patrick Dorgu's boot played him through, despite debate over Enzo Fernandez's offside position.
- Pro Ref stated Fernandez 'did not play the ball' — making any offside offence 'subjective' — but concluded the VAR 'did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.'
- Manchester City maintained their 100% league record from four games despite playing with 10 men after Phil Foden's 23rd-minute red card.
Why it matters: The sidelining of Donohue and Antrobus is a concrete accountability step from PGMOL/Pro Ref within days of the error, signaling to clubs and fans that VAR mistakes carry immediate personnel consequences. With City maintaining a perfect start, the dropped officials face the unusual prospect of being benched while the table leader they failed to penalize keeps winning.
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