The referees chief has spoken about the incident which resulted in Man City’s winning goal against Manchester United earlier in the season
Howard Webb has revealed that he contacted Manchester United following Erling Haaland’s goal. (Image: Michael Regan – The FA, The FA via Getty Images)
Referees chief Howard Webb has said that he has contacted Manchester United twice to acknowledge an error in the Manchester Derby earlier this season. Erling Haaland’s goal was the difference between the two sides.
The goal was one of the more controversial moments of the season. After originally being ruled out for offside, a VAR review found that Haaland wasn’t in an offside position; however, they didn’t acknowledge the impact of Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position.
After the game, Pro Ref confirmed an ‘error of judgement’, and contacted United over the incident. Webb has now revealed that he personally contacted the club on two occasions.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “I called [director of football] Jason Wilcox and Rebecca [Britain, the club secretary], acknowledging the error.
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“People talk about apologies. We don’t often apologise but I did that one because the error was so impactful – and it wasn’t a judgment call.”
The former referee went on to reference a well-known psychological experiment in which participants fail to notice something plainly obvious while their attention is focused elsewhere – a phenomenon referred to as inattentional blindness.
“People can’t believe it when they see it. It’s like the gorilla,” he said. “The gorilla banging his chest when the kids are playing basketball, hiding in plain sight.
“Someone had to say, ‘Look at the gorilla banging his chest!’ Which gorilla? Oh, that one.”
Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the game in the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford(Image: Michael Regan, Getty Images)
Following the decision, Pro Ref’s external consultant Inaki Vicandi Garrido reportedly reviewed the ruling and spoke with all the officials involved. Michael Oliver was the referee, with Matt Donohue on VAR and Blake Antrobus serving as assistant VAR.
This was reportedly followed by a video call with all Pro Ref match officials ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures, as well as a face-to-face meeting during which the incident was examined in detail.
The goal was not the only flashpoint from the match, with City losing Phil Foden to a red card in the first half after he lashed out at United skipper Bruno Fernandes. The moment sparked calls that Fernandes should also have been dismissed, after he appeared to swipe at the City forward before Foden’s reaction.
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