VAR Matt Donohue Dropped from Premier League Duty After Manchester Derby Error

Matt Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus will not officiate this weekend following an error of judgement during Erling Haaland's goal at Old Trafford.

VAR Matt Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus have been omitted from the Premier League officiating appointments for the upcoming weekend following an "error of judgement" during Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford. The referees' body, Pro Ref, admitted that Donohue failed to instruct referee Michael Oliver to review a pitchside monitor after Manchester City's Erling Haaland scored. While a review determined Haaland was played onside by Patrick Dorgu, Enzo Fernández appeared to interfere with play from an offside position by impacting Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez and goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

Pro Ref confirmed that the goal should have been reviewed to determine if Fernández's involvement met the criteria for offside. Following the incident, the organization contacted Manchester United regarding the mistake. Chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and the Pro Ref management team made the specific decision to withhold Donohue and Antrobus from top-flight matches until at least Oct. 10, as an international break follows the next round of fixtures.

Michael Oliver, who officiated the derby on the field, remains on duty and is scheduled to referee the match between Bournemouth and Liverpool this Sunday. Webb is expected to address the derby incident on Tuesday during the 'Match Officials: Mic'd Up' broadcast on Sky Sports and TNT Sports. Donohue, who debuted as a Premier League official in May 2024, has served as a VAR for the past two years after joining the EFL assistant referees list in 2014.