‘F---ing Joke’—Man Utd’s History With VAR Who Wrongly Decided Derby Defeat

Video Assistant Referee Matt Donohue’s damning role in Erling Haaland’s erroneously awarded winning goal for Manchester City in Sunday’s derby was not his first contentious encounter with Manchester United, but it may be his last for a while.

Donohue was the video assistant referee who awarded Haaland’s winner, overlooking any interference caused by Enzo Fernández diving after the ball in front of Lisandro Martínez from an offside position. The Premier League’s official refereeing body Pro Ref subsequently branded the decision an “error of judgement” from the VAR.

In light of that very public blunder, Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus have not been assigned any Premier League fixture for the coming weekend’s round of matches. The Daily Mail report that the organization have gone one step further, “blocking” the pair from taking over any United fixtures “for the foreseeable future.”

It remains to be seen how Michael Carrick will react to that development but the bitter United boss wasn’t very impressed by the prospect of an apology from Pro Ref. “Yeah, that’d be great, that. Yeah, I can’t wait for that one,” he said, dripping with sarcasm.

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Maguire’s Past Clash With Donohue

Harry Maguire looking flustered. — Harry Maguire was sent off against Bournemouth in March. | Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images

Back in March, it was Donohue complaining about United rather than the other way around. Harry Maguire was sent off for the Red Devils against Bournemouth for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity moments after Amad Diallo had been on the end of a very similar, but unpunished, challenge. The United center back was seen going nose to nose with Donohue, who was stood on the touchline as the fourth official for that match, and accused of using some colorful language.

“In the 78th minute of the game, referee Stuart Attwell sent off Manchester United #5 Harry Maguire,” Donohue wrote in his report. “After the VAR check was complete, 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 dismissed the accusation forcefully: “I did not use abusive and/or insulting words towards the fourth official or any other match official. As I left the field of play following my dismissal, I said something along the lines of ‘it is a f---ing joke.’ I am certain that I did not call the fourth official or any match official, a joke or use any other form of insult.”

Donohue steadfastly insisted that Maguire’s comment was “aimed collectively at the group of officials” and the FA sided with their official, handing United’s defender an extra one-match ban.

‘Incompetent’ Donohue’s Past Offside Controversy

Matt Donohue with a pen. — Matt Donohue has come under fire in recent days. | Annabel Lee-Ellis/Getty Images

“I don’t really know how you go and get another explanation on that one,” Carrick seethed when reflecting on how any official could consider that Fernández was not interfering with play in the buildup to Haaland’s goal. “I think we all understand what that rule means [regarding interfering with play], and it’s pretty obvious. It’s as obvious as it gets.”

However, this is not Donohue’s first controversial interpretation of this particular wrinkle in the offside law.

In March 2023, Sheffield United snatched a winning goal against Sunderland in hotly controversial circumstances. Tommy Doyle’s free kick bounced into the bottom corner after avoiding the scrum of shirts awaiting his delivery. However, Sheffield United’s Sander Berge had done his best to get a toe on the ball, flinging his leg forward without any success.

Much like Fernández against United, Berge didn’t make contact with the ball but was still clearly interfering with play from an offside position. The beaten Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray lambasted Donohue, who was the on-pitch referee for the fixture.

“I have been in football since I left school 43 years ago and that is offside,” he raged. “Is that right that an offside goal is allowed because the referee is incompetent and the linesman’s communication is really poor? It shouldn’t happen, yet some guy in a blue suit allowed a goal to stand which should not have stood and we have to suffer the consequences of it.”

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