Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus have been stood down from Premier League duty following the controversial decision to allow Erling Haaland’s winning goal in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
The two officials were not selected for any of next weekend’s Premier League fixtures after Pro Ref, the Professional Game Referees body formerly known as PGMOL, acknowledged that the VAR process had failed during Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and the Pro Ref management team made the decision, with Donohue and Antrobus not expected to return to Premier League duties until at least after the upcoming international break.
The controversy centered on City’s 60th-minute winner, scored while Pep Guardiola’s side were down to 10 men following Phil Foden’s first-half red card for violent conduct.
Haaland finished at the back post from a Joško Gvardiol cross that had deflected off United defender Patrick Dorgu. Assistant referee Stuart Burt initially flagged Haaland for offside, and referee Michael Oliver upheld the decision.
VAR Donohue and assistant VAR Antrobus then conducted a lengthy review using semi-automated offside technology. The review correctly determined that Haaland was onside, with Dorgu’s boot keeping the Norwegian forward in play.
The officials, however, also had to assess the position of City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was standing in an offside position closer to the center of the penalty area.
Fernandez attempted to head the ball but did not make contact. His movement nevertheless drew United defender Lisandro Martínez toward him and affected the positioning of goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Pro Ref later acknowledged that the VAR team should have considered whether Fernandez had interfered with an opponent and recommended that Oliver conduct an on-field review.
“Did not recognise the likely impact of his position” was how Pro Ref characterized the error, adding that the VAR should have sent the decision back to the referee for further assessment.
The governing body contacted Manchester United that evening to acknowledge what it described as an “error of judgement” and announced a formal review of the incident.
Premier League Match Centre messaging during the match had explained that Haaland was onside and that Fernandez, despite being offside, had not played the ball. The subsequent review, however, focused on whether Fernandez’s movement had affected United players rather than simply whether he touched the ball.
The distinction proved crucial. While the factual offside determination involving Haaland was correct, the subjective assessment of Fernandez’s potential interference was not properly escalated to the referee for a pitchside review.
The decision has drawn strong criticism from United, with manager Michael Carrick and Martínez both questioning the call after the match. Carrick described the incident as “worrying” and said it was “as obvious as it gets.”
Donohue has extensive experience as a VAR and made dozens of appointments in the 2025-26 season, although he has had comparatively limited experience as a Premier League referee on the field. Antrobus has also regularly worked in the VAR system.
Their removal from the next round of fixtures reflects the established approach of the refereeing authorities when significant process failures occur in high-profile matches.
Despite the controversy, the goal stood and City secured a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford. The result left them level on points with Arsenal at the top of the early Premier League standings.
