 |
| Erling Haaland |
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has issued an official apology to Manchester United, confirming that Erling Haaland’s controversial 60th-minute goal for Manchester City during Sunday's Premier League fixture should have been subjected to an on-field video review.
The decision-making body for top-flight English referees described the incident as an "error of judgement" and confirmed they have contacted Manchester United directly to acknowledge the mistake. The match, played at Old Trafford, saw the contentious moment alter the course of the second half.
The Offside Technicality Explained
During the buildup to the goal in the 60th minute, the assistant referee initially flagged Erling Haaland for offside. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened, reviewing the footage and correctly establishing that Haaland was physically in an onside position when the ball was played.
Hubert, the complication arose from the positioning of Manchester City's Enzo Fernandez. In an official PGMOL statement, the refereeing body explained the breakdown in protocol:
"The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position. In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review."
Because Fernandez did not touch the ball, his potential interference with play or an opponent required a subjective evaluation by the match referee on the pitch-side monitor. By failing to trigger a review, the VAR team bypassed standard operational procedures for subjective offside calls, resulting in a critical VAR error.
Direct Contact and Investigation
Following intense scrutiny after the final whistle, the officiating board moved quickly to address the fallout. Match officials confirmed that direct communication was established with Manchester United executives on Sunday evening to formally admit the oversight regarding the Erling Haaland goal during the Manchester United vs Manchester City clash.
The refereeing board concluded its announcement by stating, "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 formal investigation is expected to evaluate the communications between the VAR hub and the on-field refereeing team to prevent similar subjective oversight errors in future Premier League matchweeks.
0 Comments