Pro Ref openly says in a surprising statement that giving Erling Haaland’s goal against Man Utd was a mistake.
Pro Ref, the group in charge of professional refereeing, has admitted they made a mistake in awarding Erling Haaland’s goal in the Manchester derby.
Haaland scored the winning goal on Sunday, helping City secure a tough 1-0 victory over their local rivals. The goal caused a lot of debate because Haaland was first ruled offside when he tapped in Josko Gvardiol’s deflected cross. After a long VAR check, the offside call was overturned since Haaland was actually onside thanks to Patrick Dorgu.
However, the biggest argument came from Enzo Fernandez’s role in the goal. Fernandez was in an offside position as he tried to play the ball before it got to Haaland. VAR decided that although Fernandez was offside, he didn’t touch the ball, so the goal stood.
Many fans and experts disagreed, saying Fernandez did interfere by moving toward the ball and blocking Lisandro Martinez’s path. Martinez even called the decision unfair.
Now, a Pro Ref spokesperson has admitted the decision to give Haaland’s goal was a mistake. They explained that while Haaland was onside, Fernandez’s offside position should have led to a review because of his impact on play. Pro Ref has reached out to Manchester United to acknowledge the error and plans to review the incident further.
Speaking after the match, Michael Carrick said he was shocked by the explanation for awarding the goal. He said, “If that’s how they define not interfering in the game now, it’s really worrying. It’s a staggering explanation. I just don’t get it.”
Carrick added it was hard to understand how so many people and technology are involved but still result in confusing decisions. He also said the offside line looked questionable. “It’s worrying if that’s how the game is seen by those officiating it,” he said.