Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is at the center of a VAR controversy from the Manchester derby against Manchester United, with Professional Game Referees (Pro Ref) chief Howard Webb saying the goal should not have stood.
According to Webb, VAR’s review showed “tunnel vision,” which he says affected how officials assessed the incident leading up to the goal. He frames the decision as a missed opportunity to apply the rules correctly during the match.
While all the reports attribute the same core explanation to Webb—that VAR focused too narrowly on a particular aspect of the incident—outlets present it with slightly different emphasis. The Athletic focuses on Webb’s acknowledgment of the officiating error, while the Nigerian outlets report the explanation more directly as the reason VAR “allowed” the goal and highlight Webb’s disappointment and his comments from the “Match Officials Mic’d Up” program. The accounts agree on the substance of Webb’s claim, but they vary in tone and the surrounding context they choose to provide.
