Officially: VAR referees removed after catastrophic error in Haaland goal in Manchester derby

Howard Webb, the head of the referees' committee in the Premier League, and the officiating management team have decided to exclude Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus from the list of referees assigned to officiate the upcoming round of Premier League matches, following the controversial refereeing error in the Manchester derby between Manchester United and Manchester City.

The decision came after Erling Haaland's goal, which gave Manchester City a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, was initially disallowed for offside.

The video assistant referee intervened to review the decision, before the goal was awarded as Haaland was in a legal position.

The referees' committee later acknowledged an error in judgment after the VAR official failed to account for Enzo Fernández, who was in an offside position and attempted to play the ball. This should have warranted a reassessment of the situation and a recommendation for the on-field referee to review the decision.

This is the first instance this season where referees have been removed from assignments due to a refereeing error. Reports have confirmed that the situation of Donohue and Antropas will be reassessed after the international break, meaning their absence from the next round does not necessarily indicate a long-term suspension.