Howard Webb is ready to personally talk about the big VAR controversy in the Manchester derby after the Pro Ref admitted a mistake.
Howard Webb, the Chief Refereeing Officer at Pro Ref, is reportedly facing a tough decision after the controversy in Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Erling Haaland scored the only goal to help Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0 on September 13. This win kept City’s perfect record this season under Enzo Maresca’s management.
At first, the goal was called offside, but the video assistant referee (VAR) stepped in and changed the call. They ruled that Haaland was onside, thanks to a play involving Patrick Dorgu.
However, the drama didn’t end there. Many fans, experts, and United players thought City’s Enzo Fernández interfered by trying to head the ball, even though he didn’t actually touch it.
Soon after the goal, the Premier League explained that VAR checked the offside call and decided Haaland was onside. They also said Fernández didn’t play the ball, despite being offside.
Later that day, Pro Ref admitted they made a mistake. They said VAR didn’t fully consider how Fernández’s position affected the play and should have asked the on-field referee to review the decision. They also apologized to Manchester United and said they will review the incident.
On Monday, it was announced that Matt Donohue, the VAR, and Blake Antrobus, the assistant VAR, would not be assigned to any matches for the next round as a result.
A Pro Ref spokesman said this decision was made by Howard Webb and the team and that both officials will miss games until after the international break.
Webb is expected to speak publicly about the incident soon on the first episode of Match Officials Mic’d Up. His comments might clear things up or could raise more questions about the quality of refereeing.
According to the official rules the Premier League follows, a player is offside if they clearly try to play the ball when it’s close and this affects an opponent.
Fernández did try to play the ball and in doing so impacted United defender Lisandro Martínez, which made him offside.
After the game, Martínez said: “I think it was offside. I don’t understand the rules. It’s hard to accept losing a derby and three points at home. They come to explain the rules to us every season, but then we see mistakes like this in the Premier League. It’s not right. This is the best league with the best teams and players, and we feel this was unfair.”