Referees' chief Howard Webb has disclosed that he personally made two phone calls to Manchester United following their defeat in the Manchester derby. United suffered a narrow defeat to rivals Manchester City, courtesy of Erling Haaland's second-half strike. The goal was initially disallowed on the pitch, with VAR controversially reversing the decision despite Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position, appearing to interfere with play.
Webb's Personal Apology
Webb has since described the ruling as a 'significant error'. It emerged after the match that Pro Ref had contacted United to acknowledge an 'error of judgement'. Webb has now confirmed that he personally placed two calls to club officials.
Speaking to The Times, he said: "I called [director of football] Jason Wilcox and Rebecca [Britain, the club secretary], acknowledging the error."
'Not a Judgment Call'
"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," Webb added.
The former referee went on to reference a psychological experiment in which participants fail to notice something plainly obvious when their attention is directed elsewhere, a phenomenon commonly 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."
Pro Ref Review
Following the ruling, Pro Ref's external consultant Inaki Vicandi Garrido reportedly assessed the decision and spoke with all the officials involved. Michael Oliver served as the referee, with Matt Donohue operating as VAR and Blake Antrobus 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 thoroughly examined.
The goal was not the only contentious moment from the match, with City seeing Phil Foden dismissed in the first half after lashing out at United captain Bruno Fernandes. The flashpoint prompted widespread calls that Fernandes should also have been shown a red card, after he appeared to swipe at the City forward before Foden's reaction.
