VAR Controversy: Pressure for Quick Decisions Obvious in Rushed Derby Review - BBC Sport
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'Let's go, let's go' - Inside Catastrophic Derby VAR Mistake
By Dale Johnson, Football Issues Correspondent
Published 7 hours ago
"Quick, quick, quick, quick! Go, go, go, go, go!"
The desperate plea from video assistant referee Matt Donohue as he rushed through the review to award Erling Haaland's winning goal in the Manchester derby.
No doubt Donohue was trying to be efficient, but it led to one of the most catastrophic VAR errors the Premier League has seen.
Donohue and his assistant VAR, Blake Antrobus, incredibly failed to notice that Enzo Fernandez was three yards offside before he attempted a header. The goal was given, leading to Manchester City's 1-0 win over Manchester United.
Refereeing is always under intense scrutiny, even more so since the introduction of VAR. The Premier League prioritized "more efficient application of VAR to reduce delays" as one of its football principles for the season.
Has the game tried to prioritize speed over accuracy?
The urgency in Donohue's voice was evident: "Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!" It was a panicked exchange between VAR and the replay operator – not calm, collected, or methodical. It was rushed and chaotic. The antithesis of how a video official should operate.
Officials face constant pressure from fans, pundits, radio phone-ins, and newspaper columns to make VAR decisions faster. In the Premier League stakeholders' survey (including managers, coaches, and supporters), speed of decisions was the key theme for desired improvements to VAR.
While City manager Enzo Maresca had some sympathy for the VAR officials: "To make a decision in 10, 20 seconds is not easy for them," he acknowledged that mistakes can still occur.
Referees' chief Howard Webb has acknowledged the need for quicker reviews while striving to maintain balance. While delays have been reduced (from an average of 46 seconds per game to 36), the only other significant VAR mistake this season also came from a rushed clearance of an incident.