Action Images/Lee Smith EDITORIAL
It was a remarkable Manchester derby in the end, with the game decided by an incorrectly allowed goal. Erling Haaland finished from close range for Manchester City, but his winner should have been ruled out for offside.
There had already been drama in the Premier League clash as Phil Foden was handed a direct red card for lashing out at Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. Even with a one-man advantage, however, the Red Devils could not capitalise.
In the 60th minute, Haaland scored the only goal of the game, but it later became apparant that Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position and made a clear attempt to get involved with play. ProRef, English football's refereeing body, has since admitted that VAR made the wrong decision and that the goal should not have counted.
Amid the controversy, there has been much focus on the officials. In particular, Matthew Donohue, who was working on VAR for the game, has been thrust into the limelight.
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Matthew Donohue is Fan of Premier League Club
While Michael Oliver was refereeing the game, the on-field decision was to rule out the goal for offside. When Donohue and his VAR assistant Blake Antrobus checked replays, they found that Haaland was onside.
While this call was correct, they somehow overlooked Fernandez, who clearly impacted play as he attempted to head the ball from an offside position. The Premier League Match Centre stated that the City midfielder was not punished as he did not play the ball, but we now know that this was a mistake.
With focus drawn to Donohue, who made the VAR error while working on the game, reports have now revealed that he supports a Premier League club. As per Daily Cannon, the English official is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur, and the report also claims he had held a season ticket with the north London side in the past.
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Premier League Referees Prevented from Being Assigned to Teams They Support
Premier League referee Michael Oliver
Premier League referee Michael Oliver
Premier League referees have to declare which teams they support, so that ProRef can make sure they aren't assigned to those games. For instance, Oliver is a Newcastle United fan, and is banned from covering the Magpies or rivals Sunderland.
He once explained: "We have to declare if we have an allegiance to any club or if a family member works at a club. You can't do any match involving that team, and I can't do Sunderland, either, for obvious reasons."
Per the Sun, Donohue has been a full-time referee since 2019, having previously taught at Greswell Primary School and Nursery in Denton. To date, he is yet to referee Spurs. Most of his matches as a referee have been in the Championship or the League Cup but has overseen five Premier League games in total.
2024, he became a Premier League official and has since progressed through PGMO’s Enhanced VAR Training Programme, acting as VAR for a number of games in the top flight. He did also work as a fourth official last season during another Manchester United game. On that occasion, Harry Maguire was sent off as the Red Devils drew 2-2 with Bournemouth.
Donohue filed an “extraordinary incident report”, in which he wrote that after the VAR check was completed, Maguire “as he was leaving the field of play, approached me and shouted, ‘You’re a joke. You’re all a f***ing joke.’ “I am reporting the matter to the Football Association for further review.”
Maguire claimed that he did not label Donohue or any match official a “f***ing joke”. Donohue admitted there was “a possibility that the words were either misheard or mis-recollected."
He added: “Whilst I think Mr Maguire said ‘You’re a joke,’ I wouldn’t be able to respond to this with certainty. However, the second sentence, 'You’re all a f***ing joke,’ I do remember hearing with clarity and remember thinking that the comment was aimed collectively at the group of officials.
“I would be prepared to say with certainty that these words were said.”
The Football Association backed Donohue’s evidence and concluded that Maguire should be banned for an additional match over his outburst.