The day after the Premier League’s Manchester derby, one of the biggest games in club football, the conversation is not dominated by the teams’ performances or players’ individual brilliance but by a controversial refereeing decision that allowed a seemingly offside goal to be overturned. Erling Haaland’s controversially awarded goal for Manchester United in Sunday’s derby at Manchester United bagged his team three vital points and, more importantly, bragging rights over their rivals. The result left thousands in the red half of Manchester feeling cheated and the plot thickened later in the day when the refereeing body revealed that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) made the wrong call.
The 2026-27 Premier League season has barely completed its first month, but it is not wonder goals or last-minute saves making the headlines. Instead, VAR is the most hotly contested debate among fans, experts and managers who feel hard done by the use of technology. 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.
So how did we get here and what’s the fuss about VAR in the modern game? Al Jazeera Sport breaks it down: VAR is a refereeing support tool designed to enable the checking, reviewing and correction of clear and obvious errors during a match, according to FIFA. Football’s global governing body introduced the technology that is now used in over 300 competitions worldwide.
It was intended to be a combination of human expertise and technological accuracy, but has instead become a sour topic in football circles. A dedicated team of video match officials (VARs) review decisions made by the on-field referee and speak directly with the match official via an audio communication system before a conclusion is reached. First used in 2018-19, the VAR technology relies on video replays and reviews decisions related to four categories: goals, penalty decisions, direct red card incidents and mistaken identity.
During the season’s first Manchester derby at Old Trafford, with City down to 10 players, striker Haaland scored in the 60th minute, slotting home at the back post from Josko Gvardiol’s cross. The linesman initially disallowed the goal, suggesting Haaland was offside, but VAR overturned that decision, which caused controversy and left United fans furious. While Haaland was played onside by Patrick Dorgu’s boot, his City teammate Enzo Fernandez, who dived to try to head the ball before Haaland, was in an offside position.
Replays showed Fernandez did not touch the ball, so the goal was given and it eventually proved to be the game-changer. Premier League Match Centre posted on X after the goal to say the VAR “determined that Haaland was in an onside position” and “deemed that while in an offside position, Fernandez didn’t play the ball”. The refereeing body, Professional Game Referees (Pro Ref), admitted that the decision to allow Haaland’s goal was an “error of judgment”.
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