Howard Webb notes the refereeing body’s regret over the decision to permit Erling Haaland’s goal against Manchester United.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb stated that “tunnel vision” caused video assistant referee (VAR) officials to incorrectly award Erling Haaland’s goal during Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Haaland’s strike in the second half was initially disallowed for offside, but it was subsequently allowed to stand after a VAR review concluded that the Manchester City forward was onside.
PGMOL, the organization responsible for refereeing in English professional football, later admitted that the goal should not have counted because VAR failed to properly evaluate the involvement of teammate Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position when attempting to play the ball.
“I was really disappointed with this outcome. We all are. None more so than the officials themselves,” Webb, PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer, said during an appearance on Match Officials Mic’d Up on Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
“They take a lot of personal pride in what they do, and they’re obviously hurting now having fallen short in this situation.”
VAR is a refereeing support tool designed to check, review, and correct clear and obvious errors during a match, according to FIFA. Intended to combine human expertise with technological accuracy, it has instead become a highly contentious topic within football circles.
Current and former Manchester United players, including club legend Wayne Rooney, criticized the use of VAR as “horrendous,” while football analysts told Al Jazeera that the technology has become “far too dominant” in the decision-making process.
Webb confirmed that VAR officials Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus would not officiate again until after the international break.
“We’ve reached out to Manchester United and acknowledged the error, as we do when these things happen,” Webb added.
Explaining the decision-making process, Webb noted that the semi-automated offside system quickly established Haaland was onside, but the VAR became overly focused on the striker’s position and failed to fully consider Fernandez’s influence on the play.
“But of course, when he then runs it back through the full APP, he doesn’t truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez’s position,” Webb explained.
“He has a look to see if he touches the ball, because then that relates to potentially knocking it to Haaland, who goes on to score. He doesn’t touch the ball, but he doesn’t truly evaluate other elements of offside. In that moment, he gets tunnel vision.”
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick criticized the decision following his side’s 1-0 home defeat, which marked their second loss in four Premier League matches this season.
United will next host Brighton in the League Cup on Wednesday before traveling to Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.