Manchester derby controversy highlights challenges of VAR’s pursuit of perfection

Erling Haaland may very well be the ideal goal scorer, yet his goal in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory against Manchester United on Sunday showcased that true perfection in officiating remains elusive for VAR (Video Assistant Referee), despite its intended purpose to achieve just that.

When VAR was first introduced in the Premier League in 2019, following its trial success at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the aim was to enhance clarity and certainty in crucial decisions, preventing matches from being swayed by referee errors.

Gone were the days of outrageous offside decisions, unjust red cards, and players escaping punishment for serious fouls, while managers could also be spared the usual grievances concerning officiating after a loss.

Controversies were supposed to become a thing of the past. It was envisioned as a flawless system.

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This has long been the prevailing view of VAR — the ultimate fallback for a review mechanism designed to ensure on-field justice. However, since the technology is operated by humans, the quest for perfection becomes subjective, clouding the decision-making process.

Take the recent Manchester derby, where Haaland’s goal was initially disallowed for offside by assistant referee Stuart Burt. In such cases, VAR’s responsibility is to confirm whether the initial decision was correct, which involves addressing three key questions:

1. Was Haaland offside?
2. Was there a foul in the buildup to the goal?
3. Were any other players in an offside position?

All these questions must be resolved before the assistant referee’s ruling is overturned. While VAR officials Matthew Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus correctly determined Haaland was onside, they faced subjective challenges when evaluating questions two and three.

There was no foul in the buildup, allowing for a swift resolution of question two. However, question three proved problematic. The officials concluded that City’s Enzo Fernández was not actively challenging for the ball or obstructing United defender Lisandro Martínez, despite his visible attempt to head a cross from Josko Gvardiol.

This situation underscores a fundamental flaw in VAR. When it comes to subjective judgments, different officials may interpret a scenario in distinct ways. The system can never achieve perfection — at least not until AI takes over and delivers flawless decisions in an instant.

Ironically, in a system that inherently lacks perfection due to human involvement, officials overthink straightforward calls in pursuit of achieving it. If Donohue and Antrobus had appropriately applied the Laws of the Game (Offside is Law 11), they would have recognized that Fernández not only attempted to play the ball but also obstructed Martínez’s path. Consequently, he was offside on two counts. Yet, their aim for an ideal decision while monitoring the video led them to a glaring oversight.

Perfection was evident in the clear guidelines of the Laws of the Game, but their subjective interpretation resulted in what might be remembered as one of the most egregious VAR errors in Premier League history.

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Howard Webb, who officiated the 2010 World Cup final and now leads Pro Ref, remarked recently that he expects VAR officials to maintain a high standard before intervening in on-field decisions, only doing so for evident referee errors. However, this guidance does not preclude VAR officials from second-guessing themselves, affected by fears of backlash for incorrect judgments. In their endeavor to ensure accuracy, they may overlook evident infractions, as was the case at Old Trafford.

Three hours post-game, Pro Ref announced that Haaland’s goal was mistakenly awarded, but that came too late to alter the match outcome. While Pro Ref eventually recognized the error, true perfection only emerged after United manager Michael Carrick and his squad retreated home feeling unjustly treated.

Haaland’s goal could prove pivotal for United, who are now facing the worst start to a Premier League season, garnering merely four points from four matches. Carrick may soon feel the heat if this trend continues. Meanwhile, City’s fortunate triumph could influence the title race, especially if they clinch it by a narrow margin.

If Haaland, who currently has 115 goals, surpasses Alan Shearer’s Premier League benchmark of 260 by the end of his time at City, will this tainted goal cast a shadow over his record?

All these scenarios, far from perfect, hinge directly on that VAR decision made during this 199th Manchester derby.

So much for achieving perfection.