The Sun: Webb to Explain VAR Error; Manchester United Will Not Take Further Action

Beijing time (CEST) September 15 — According to The Sun, Howard Webb, head of the referees' committee (PGMOL), will make an official statement this evening regarding a serious VAR error that occurred in the Manchester derby. VAR operator Matt Donoghue and AVAR Blake Antrobus have been suspended and held accountable for this low-level mistake.

Manchester United is reported to have no intention of taking further action, but Webb will thoroughly review the entire incident on camera. Haaland's second-half goal will be the central focus of the first episode of "Mic'd Up Referees" this season. Earlier, the referees' committee acknowledged that Enzo Fernández was in an offside position, and the goal should have been disallowed.

Webb will then publicly release the recorded conversation between Donoghue and Antrobus. This conversation ultimately led referee Michael Oliver to incorrectly award Manchester City's goal.

It is understood that on-duty referee Oliver quickly realized the severity of the decision, and senior officials from the referees' committee also discovered the error almost immediately after the goal was given. Just three hours after the match, Webb approved the referees' committee's public acknowledgment of the "refereeing error."

This evening, he will explain in detail the specific gaps in the refereeing process and announce subsequent corrective measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

Currently, Donoghue and Antrobus have been suspended from refereeing duties this weekend. A referees' committee spokesman stated: "Neither Matt Donoghue nor Blake Antrobus have been appointed to referee this weekend following the Manchester derby."

"With the release of the latest referee list, chief referee Howard Webb and his team made this decision. This means the VAR and AVAR from the Manchester derby are unlikely to officiate again until the international break."

It is reported that 38-year-old Donoghue, a former teacher from Essex who supports Tottenham, relocated to Manchester during university and has lived there since. Just minutes after the final whistle, Webb contacted him directly and asked him to explain the error.

Last season, in Manchester United's away match against Bournemouth, Donoghue drew strong criticism from Maguire and was questioned by him, after which the Manchester United defender was shown a red card and sent off.

After the match, Donoghue noted in his report that Maguire verbally abused the refereeing team, saying: "you're all fucking idiots," and the FA subsequently imposed an additional one-match ban on Maguire based on this.

Premier League officials believe that Webb's decision to have the referees' committee publicly "take responsibility" for this error somewhat eased public pressure. The "Mic'd Up Referees" program will subsequently provide clear guidance on next steps.

Additionally, Webb will also face questions from Arteta, as Sunderland received a controversial penalty in their match against Arsenal last Saturday.

In this derby, Dalot and Doku exposed the fragility of Manchester United's defense, and their city rivals Manchester City ultimately took all three points away from home. Haaland scored the winning goal following an extremely controversial decision when the VAR overturned a previously flagged offside position.

Match replays showed that Doku's position meant Haaland was not in an offside position, but Manchester City's new signing Enzo Fernández was deemed not to have interfered with play or been involved in the attack. Young Manchester United player Mainoo endured a tough test against Manchester City's powerful midfielder and performed impressively in the second half, taking control of the game, but unfortunately failed to score.

The Sun: Webb to Explain VAR Error; Manchester United Will Not Take Further Action

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