Rony criticises VAR after Haaland goal

Wayne Rony, the Manchester United legend, has launched a fierce attack on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology following the controversy surrounding the decision to award a goal to Erling Haaland during the Manchester City match, stating that the refereeing decision deprived the game of its emotions and excitement.

Rony expressed his frustration over the failure to call offside on Enzo Fernández, who he believed was in a clear offside position during the attack, stating that the mistake is inexcusable for anyone who has played football before.

Manchester United legend said: "I am really fed up with VAR. I think it has become terrible. It has robbed the game of all its emotions and the excitement with which it was played."

He added: "How could they not see that and realize that Enzo Fernández was in an offside position? Anyone who has played football, at any level, understands that and knows he was offside."

Rony concluded his statements by saying: "Therefore, making such a grave mistake is truly puzzling."

There has been an official acknowledgment of the mistake and an apology to Manchester United.

In a new development, Pro Ref has acknowledged an error in the assessment regarding Erling Haaland's goal and has issued an official apology to Manchester United, confirming that the incident will be reviewed.

The company clarified in its statement regarding the goal that came during the match between the two teams on Sunday at Old Trafford that the first decision on the pitch was to rule Haaland offside, before the Video Assistant Referee intervened and decided there was no offside against the player.

The statement said:

Following the incident that occurred in the 60th minute of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City on Sunday at Old Trafford, we can clarify the circumstances surrounding the awarding of Erling Haaland's goal.

The decision made on the pitch was to rule Erling Haaland offside, but after a review by the Video Assistant Referee, it was concluded that the player was not in an offside position.

During the same attack, it became clear that Enzo Fernández did not touch the ball, and thus the determination of an offside infringement in this case is subject to interpretation.

However, the Video Assistant Referee technology did not recognize the potential impact of his position in this incident, and it should have recommended the referee to conduct a pitch-side review of the incident.

We have reached out to Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we consider to be a misjudgment.

A review of the incident will be conducted.