VAR officials Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus have been removed from upcoming Premier League assignments and are specifically blocked from officiating Manchester United matches following a controversial decision in the recent Manchester derby. Pro Ref, the governing body that oversees professional refereeing, admitted an “error of judgement” regarding Erling Haaland’s winning goal, which secured a 1-0 victory for Manchester City at Old Trafford.
The controversial winner
Haaland’s decisive goal in the 60th minute was initially flagged for offside, but VAR intervened to overturn the decision. The review determined that Patrick Dorgu was keeping Haaland marginally onside. However, the controversy stemmed from Enzo Fernandez, who was positioned offside and inadvertently distracted Lisandro Martinez, preventing the Manchester United defender from blocking Josko Gvardiol’s deflected cross.
Pro Ref confirmed that the decision to allow the goal to stand was an “error of judgement,” leading to immediate repercussions for the officials involved.
Officials sidelined until after international break
Matt Donohue, who operated VAR for the derby, and his assistant Blake Antrobus, will not officiate any matches until “at least after the international break,” according to Pro Ref. The Daily Mail further reported that the pair are set to be ‘blocked’ from officiating any Manchester United games for the ‘foreseeable future’. Donohue has already been omitted from the Premier League’s list of match officials for Matchweek five in any capacity.
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The international break commences after September 20, the date Manchester United travel to Fulham, with top-flight action scheduled to resume on October 10 when Arsenal host Leeds United.
The high-profile derby was not without other flashpoints. Manchester City’s Phil Foden was sent off midway through the first half by referee Michael Oliver for lashing out at Bruno Fernandes. Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, pundit Jamie Carragher was critical of Fernandes’ role in the incident.
“Bruno’s fouled him, that’s football, he’s then kicked him when he’s on the floor, then he’s rolled around – he’s hardly been touched and he’s rolling round to get somebody sent off… I don’t think Bruno Fernandes comes out of that looking well at all, I think it’s really poor from him,” Carragher stated.
The decision to sideline the officials underscores the ongoing scrutiny of VAR and the high stakes of Premier League officiating, particularly in a fixture as significant as the Manchester derby.
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