VAR Punishes Its Own: Officials Sidelined Over Haaland Goal in Manchester Derby

A goal that decided a derby, and an entire weekend without officiating for two referees. That's how costly the VAR mistake proved to be in Manchester City's 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Matt Donohue, the video assistant referee that Sunday, was not assigned to any Premier League match this weekend following the error that allowed Erling Haaland's goal to stand.

The play has some backstory. On the field, the goal was initially ruled out for an offside call against Haaland himself. But the VAR review flipped that decision: officials determined it was Patrick Dorgu who was playing the Norwegian striker onside, so the goal was awarded. The problem, as Pro Ref later admitted, the body that oversees refereeing in England, is that another player involved in the phase was never properly checked: Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez was in an offside position and, according to Pro Ref's own explanation, appeared to clearly interfere with the actions of Lisandro Martinez and goalkeeper Senne Lammens as the keeper attempted to head the ball clear. That, in theory, should have been enough to disallow the goal for offside. The specific error made by Donohue, along with assistant Blake Antrobus, was failing to send referee Michael Oliver to the monitor to review that exact interference.

The fallout came quickly. Neither Donohue nor Antrobus appeared in this round's officiating assignments. And with an international break following this weekend's fixtures, both will be out of Premier League action until at least October 10. Oliver, meanwhile, remains active: he will referee the match between Bournemouth and Liverpool.

Rooney's Criticism

The frustration wasn't confined to United's locker room. Wayne Rooney, the club's former striker and a regular voice on English television, held nothing back while breaking down the play on the BBC's Match of the Day 2.

"I'm sick of this VAR. I think it's horrible. It takes all the excitement out of the game and all the energy the game is played with. The fact that they didn't see or acknowledge that Fernandez was in an offside position... Anyone who has played football at any level understands and knows he's offside. For them to get it wrong like that is just baffling."Wayne Rooney

Pro Ref, for its part, has already contacted Manchester United to explain what happened. And the matter won't end there: Howard Webb, the body's chief refereeing officer, will appear on Tuesday on Match Officials: Mic'd Up, broadcast by Sky Sports and TNT Sports, where he is expected to provide further details on what occurred at Old Trafford.

Worth remembering: Donohue made his Premier League refereeing debut in May 2024, after moving up from the EFL's assistant referee list in 2014. Over the past two years, he had become a regular presence in the VAR booth. Now, that very role has left him sidelined, at least for the time being.