Former Premier League referee Mark Webb has attributed a recent controversial video assistant referee (VAR) decision to "tunnel vision" on the part of the officials during a Manchester City versus Manchester United match. The incident involved a penalty awarded against Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who was ruled onside by semi-automated offside technology, but a subsequent review failed to fully consider the position and impact of Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, leading to an incorrect offside call.

Webb explained that while the initial VAR check correctly identified Haaland as onside, the officials did not adequately assess Fernandes, who was in an offside position and appeared to interfere with Manchester City’s defense and goalkeeper. He said the officials focused too narrowly on Haaland, failing to account for Fernandes’s influence on play. This “tunnel vision” meant that the VAR team did not reverse the penalty decision, a mistake acknowledged by the officials.

“We were really disappointed with this outcome,” Webb said, adding that the officials themselves were deeply affected by the error, as they take great pride in their work. He noted that the referees involved would not officiate again until after the upcoming international break and that the governing body had already reached out to Manchester United to acknowledge the mistake. Efforts are underway to review the incident and analyze what aspects of the process failed to prevent the erroneous decision.

Webb also addressed the disciplinary decisions in the match, confirming that the red card shown to Manchester City’s Phil Foden for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes was justified. However, he qualified the United captain’s initial retaliatory kick as deserving only a yellow card, describing it as “more petulant than violent.”

The incident highlights ongoing challenges in the use of VAR technology and decision-making protocols, underscoring the need for officials to maintain a comprehensive view of all relevant factors when assessing offside and disciplinary incidents.