Pro Ref chief Howard Webb said “tunnel vision” led video assistant referee (VAR) officials to wrongly award Erling Haaland’s goal in Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Haaland’s second-half strike was initially ruled out for offside before being allowed to stand following a VAR review that concluded the Manchester City forward was onside. Pro Ref, the body responsible for refereeing in English professional football, later acknowledged the goal should not have been awarded because VAR failed to properly assess the involvement of teammate Enzo Fernandez, who attempted to play the ball from an offside position.
None more so than the officials themselves,” Webb, Pro Ref’s chief refereeing officer, said on Match Officials Mic’d Up on Sky Sports and TNT Sports. It was intended to be a combination of human expertise and technological accuracy, but has instead become a sour topic in football circles. Current and former United players, including club legend Wayne Rooney, labelled the use of VAR “horrendous”, while football experts told Al Jazeera the technology has become “far too dominant” in decision-making.
Webb confirmed that VAR officials Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus would not officiate again until after the international break. Explaining the decision-making process, Webb said the semi-automated offside system quickly established that Haaland was onside, but the VAR became overly focused on the striker’s position and failed to fully consider Fernandez’s influence on the play. He doesn’t touch the ball, but he doesn’t truly evaluate other elements of offside.
In that moment, he gets tunnel vision.” Manchester United manager Michael Carrick criticised the decision after his side’s 1-0 home defeat, their second loss in four Premier League matches this season. United next host Brighton in the League Cup on Wednesday before travelling to Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.
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