{"id":4139,"date":"2026-09-16T07:01:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T07:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=4139"},"modified":"2026-09-16T07:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T07:01:24","slug":"manchester-derby-var-error-caused-by-tunnel-vision-pro-ref-chief-webb-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=4139","title":{"rendered":"Manchester derby VAR error caused by \u2018tunnel vision\u2019: Pro Ref chief Webb | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Howard Webb says the referees\u2019 body is disappointed with the decision to allow Haaland\u2019s goal against Manchester United.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 16 Sep 2026<\/span>16 Sep 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Pro Ref chief Howard Webb said \u201ctunnel vision\u201d led video assistant referee (VAR) officials to wrongly award Erling Haaland\u2019s goal<\/a> in Sunday\u2019s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n

Haaland\u2019s second-half strike was initially ruled out for offside before being allowed to stand following a VAR review that concluded the Manchester City forward was onside.<\/p>\n

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Pro Ref, the body responsible for refereeing in English professional football, later acknowledged<\/a> the goal should not have been awarded because VAR failed to properly assess the involvement of teammate Enzo Fernandez, who attempted to play the ball from an offside position.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really disappointed with this outcome. We all are. None more so than the officials themselves,\u201d Webb, Pro Ref\u2019s chief refereeing officer, said on Match Officials Mic\u2019d Up on Sky Sports and TNT Sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey take a lot of personal pride in what they do, and they\u2019re obviously hurting now having fallen short in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

VAR is a refereeing support tool designed to enable the checking, reviewing and correction of clear and obvious errors during a match, according to FIFA. It was intended to be a combination of human expertise and technological accuracy, but has instead become a sour topic in football circles.<\/p>\n

Current and former United players, including club legend Wayne Rooney, labelled the use of VAR \u201chorrendous\u201d, while football experts told Al Jazeera the technology has become \u201cfar too dominant\u201d in decision-making.<\/p>\n

Webb confirmed that VAR officials Matt Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus would not officiate again<\/a> until after the international break.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve reached out to Manchester United and acknowledged the error, as we do when these things happen,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n

Explaining the decision-making process, Webb said the semi-automated offside system quickly established that Haaland was onside, but the VAR became overly focused on the striker\u2019s position and failed to fully consider Fernandez\u2019s influence on the play.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut of course, when he then runs it back through the full APP, he doesn\u2019t truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez\u2019s position,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe 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\u2019t touch the ball, but he doesn\u2019t truly evaluate other elements of offside. In that moment, he gets tunnel vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick criticised the decision after his side\u2019s 1-0 home defeat, their second loss in four Premier League matches this season.<\/p>\n

United next host Brighton in the League Cup on Wednesday before travelling to Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Howard Webb says the referees\u2019 body is disappointed with the decision to allow Haaland\u2019s goal against Manchester United. Published On 16 Sep 202616 Sep 2026 Pro Ref chief Howard Webb said \u201ctunnel vision\u201d led video assistant referee (VAR) officials to wrongly award Erling Haaland\u2019s goal in Sunday\u2019s Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Haaland\u2019s second-half strike…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t