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VAR official behind Man City’s controversial derby goal returns to Premier League duty

Matt Donohue was stood down for three match rounds after failing to spot an offside in Manchester City’s derby win, but will return as assistant VAR for Coventry vs Fulham.

The VAR who incorrectly awarded Erling Haaland's Manchester derby goal last month has been reinstated to Premier League duty
The VAR who incorrectly awarded Erling Haaland's Manchester derby goal last month has been reinstated to Premier League duty (PA)

The Video Assistant Referee responsible for mistakenly allowing Erling Haaland’s goal in last month’s Manchester derby has returned to Premier League officiating duty.

Matt Donohue, who alongside assistant Blake Antrobus overlooked an offside Enzo Fernandez interfering with play during Manchester City’s fixture at Old Trafford on September 13, is scheduled to serve as assistant VAR for Saturday's clash between Coventry and Fulham.

Having been left off the appointment list for the subsequent three match rounds, Donohue makes his return after Antrobus resumed line duties as an assistant referee in last Saturday's match between Newcastle and Aston Villa.

Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Pro Ref, stated that Donohue had suffered from "tunnel vision" while assessing Haaland's positioning, observing that the rest of the officiating team should have helped extract him from that state.

During his absence from top-tier fixtures, Donohue took charge of English Football League matches, refereeing Southampton against Bolton last Saturday and Derby’s meeting with Wrexham on October 10.

Donohue officiating Derby vs Wrexham
Donohue officiating Derby vs Wrexham (PA)

In a separate development, the Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel endorsed a VAR decision to send off Brighton defender Pascal Struijk against Sunderland on October 10, despite an independent regulatory commission later rescinding his suspension following a successful claim for wrongful dismissal.

Comprising three former players and managers alongside representatives from the Premier League and Pro Ref, the five-member panel determined that the referee erred in failing to dismiss Struijk for denying a clear goalscoring chance.

Voting three to two, the panel supported the video official’s intervention to overturn the on-pitch call and issue a red card.

In publishing the round six evaluations, the Premier League emphasised that the KMI panel and the independent commission functioning as an appeals board are distinct entities operating under entirely separate guidelines and frameworks.

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