Manchester derby VAR team faced more criticism just hours after the tricky Erling Haaland goal.
There are reports saying that the officials who handled VAR in the Manchester derby—Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus—might not be allowed to referee Manchester United games anytime soon.
Man City played with 10 men after Phil Foden was sent off in the first half but still won 1-0 at Old Trafford with a goal from Erling Haaland in the 60th minute. The goal caused lots of debate because it was first ruled offside but then VAR said it should count, saying Patrick Dorgu just barely kept Haaland onside. Later, Pro Ref, the group that oversees referees, admitted they made a mistake letting the goal stand.
In the play, Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position when he tried to pass the ball, and he accidentally distracted Lisandro Martinez from stopping Josko Gvardiol’s cross. Joe Hart couldn’t believe the goal wasn’t disallowed for this, and now there are consequences for this controversial decision.
Matt Donohue, who was the VAR official that day, has not been chosen for any Premier League games in Matchweek five. Usually, the Premier League acts when an official is involved in a big controversy, so things might get tougher for the 38-year-old. The Daily Mail says that Donohue and Antrobus could be stopped from officiating Manchester United matches for the foreseeable future. Pro Ref confirmed they won’t referee any games until at least after the international break, which starts after United’s trip to Fulham on September 20. Games start again on October 10 with Arsenal versus Leeds.
It was a big call not to cancel Haaland’s goal, but Manchester United also didn’t do enough to get a good result. If anyone was going to make a difference, it might have been Bruno Fernandes, though he was lucky not to get a red card.
Foden was sent off for kicking out at Fernandes after the Portuguese player had tried to get the ball. Fernandes reacted by going to the ground quite dramatically, maybe hoping to get Foden sent off. The referee, Michael Oliver, showed a straight red to Foden quickly, but many think both players should have just been given yellow cards.
On Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher criticized Fernandes for his behavior. He said, “I think two yellow cards is enough. Phil Foden did put his foot in, but it wasn’t a wild kick. For me, Bruno was worse. He fouled him, then kicked him when he was down, and then rolled around to try to get someone sent off. I don’t think Bruno looks good in this at all—it was really poor from him.”