Premier League VAR referees Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus have been removed from duty after a ‘mistake of judgement’ allowed Erling Haaland’s winner at Old Trafford to stand.
Donohue, who was the VAR to the video match official, will not be taking charge of matches this weekend, while Antrobus, who was the assistant VAR, will be stood down.
This was by decision of Pro Ref chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and the Pro Ref management team.
Both will not be in the Premier League until at least after the upcoming international break.
Premier League VAR error costs United
Erling Haaland’s goal was initially disallowed after the Manchester City forward was flagged offside, but the decision was overturned by the VAR. Meanwhile, Enzo was also in an offside position when he moved towards the cross, but the VAR concluded he had not played the ball.
Pro Ref subsequently confirmed that ‘the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review’. The body revealed it had ‘spoken to Manchester United to acknowledge the error and will undertake a review of the incident’.
The decision has now led to both officials being taken out of Premier League duty until after the international break.
