The refereeing committee responsible for overseeing refereeing in the English League, known as Pro Referees, today publicly recognized having committed a "judgment error" during the match between Manchester City and Manchester United. The error was related to the validation of a goal scored by Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, which ended up being decisive for the final result of the match.
The goal in question was fundamental for Manchester City's victory over rival Manchester United. The incorrect decision by the referees directly influenced the sporting result of the match, something that Pro Referees considered unacceptable and which deserved a formal public admission of fault.
Pro Referees is the body responsible for supervising and evaluating the performance of referees in the English Premier League, with the publication of statements explaining controversial decisions after matches being common practice. This admission of error comes following a detailed analysis of the play that led to the contested goal.
Manchester City thus secured the three points in this Manchester derby, benefiting from a refereeing decision that, according to the refereeing committee itself, should not have been validated. Pro Referees acknowledged that the refereeing team failed in the correct assessment of the situation that led to Haaland's goal.
