Premier League referee Matt Donohue has been left out of this weekend’s fixtures following his controversial VAR decision during Sunday’s, September 13, 2026 Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Donohue was the video assistant referee as Manchester City defeated Manchester United 1-0, with Erling Haaland scoring the decisive goal. However, the goal sparked major controversy after concerns were raised over an offside infringement involving Enzo Fernandez.
The incident prompted Pro Referee Limited, the body responsible for overseeing professional match officials, to acknowledge that an error had been made.
Donohue and assistant VAR Blake Antrobus have now been omitted from the appointments for the final Premier League weekend before the international break.
A Pro Ref spokesman said: “Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus have not received appointments this weekend following the Manchester Derby on Sunday.
Manchester derby controversy
“The decision made by Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb and the management team comes as the latest match official appointments are released, meaning the VAR and AVAR respectively from the Manchester United v Manchester City fixture will not officiate until at least after the international break.”
Donohue was contacted by Howard Webb shortly after the final whistle as the refereeing authorities sought an explanation for the decision that allowed Haaland’s goal to stand.
Pro Ref later issued a clarification regarding the incident, admitting that the VAR official should have intervened and recommended that the referee review the footage on the pitch.
The organisation said: “The VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.
“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”
The refereeing authorities have treated the incident as human error, but Webb has moved quickly to address the situation by removing the two officials from this weekend’s assignments.
The decision means Donohue and Antrobus are unlikely to return to Premier League match duties until after the October international break, with October 11 understood to be the earliest possible date for their involvement.
The episode has once again raised questions over the effectiveness of VAR, particularly when video officials fail to intervene in incidents that could have a direct impact on the result of a match.
Manchester City’s victory gave Pep Guardiola’s side all three points in the derby, while the disputed goal became the main talking point following the final whistle.
Premier League officials are now expected to conduct a review of the incident and consider measures aimed at preventing similar VAR errors from occurring again.
When technology creates another problem
VAR was introduced to correct clear and obvious errors. Yet the Manchester derby demonstrated how the system can sometimes move a match from one controversial decision to another.
The assistant referee’s initial decision was to rule out Haaland’s goal for offside. VAR correctly established that Haaland himself was onside. But the subsequent assessment of Fernandez’s involvement was subjective.
That means the technology did not simply identify whether a player was ahead of the last defender. It required officials to decide whether an offside player had influenced the play. That distinction matters.
The Premier League itself says VAR is not intended to “re-referee” matches and operates with a high threshold for intervention. The league’s own Key Match Incidents Panel has repeatedly acknowledged that VAR can miss situations where intervention should have occurred.
The problem, therefore, is not necessarily that VAR exists. It is how much authority is given to VAR officials when dealing with subjective incidents.
