Video assistant referee Matt Donohue and his assistant, Blake Antrobus, have been excluded from this weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures. The decision, handed down by the league’s officiating body Pro Ref and overseen by chief refereeing officer Howard Webb, comes in the wake of a contentious officiating call during Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Pro Ref publicly acknowledged an “error of judgement” regarding the winning goal scored by Erling Haaland, which secured a victory for 10-man Manchester City. The decisive moment occurred in the 60th minute when Haaland converted a cross from Josko Gvardiol at the back post. Although the assistant referee initially flagged the effort for offside, a VAR review overturned the decision, ruling that Patrick Dorgu’s boot had kept the Norwegian striker onside.
Significant controversy remains regarding the role of City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position and dived toward the ball in a central area before Haaland’s strike. In a formal statement, Pro Ref clarified that because “Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball,” any potential offside infraction became a subjective interpretation by the officiating team.
The result allowed Manchester City to preserve a flawless record, having won all four of their league matches this season despite Phil Foden receiving a red card just 23 minutes into the contest. Following the public admission of the error, the exclusion of Donohue and Antrobus marks a notable change in the upcoming match official appointments. The report also notes that city, who had Phil Foden sent off after 23 minutes, maintained their 100% league record from four games with the victory.
