Manchester United were angry at the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s goal to stand in the Manchester derby and received an apology from Pro Refs.

Manchester United anger over a VAR breakdown that allowed Erling Haaland’s winning goal at Old Trafford to stand won’t be eased by the fact that the refereeing body has been in this position before.

Pro Refs released a statement hours after the final whistle of the 199th Manchester derby, confirming an error had been made in the process that saw Haaland’s goal awarded, when it had been ruled out on the field for an offside.

The decision centred on whether Enzo Fernandez was interfering with play in trying to reach Josko Gvardiol’s cross before Haaland turned it home at the back post.

A Pro Ref spokesperson said: “Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal.

“The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position. In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”

But it isn’t the first time match officials and VAR have made a mistake for a similar incident. Manchester City benefitred in September 2023 when a Nathan Ake header in a 5-1 win against Fulham was given, despite Manuel Akanji attempting to play the ball from an offside position.

“It’s a clear situation of offside,” referees’ chief Howard Webb told Match Officials: Mic’d Up.

“From the outset I think this should have been disallowed. It certainly appears Akanji has an impact on the goalkeeper who seems to hesitate.”

In December 2024 an Everton goal against Wolves was also awarded, the last in a 4-0 win, only for Key Match Incidents Panel to later say the officials had got it wrong.

Abdoulaye Doucoure was in an offside position as he challenged Wolves centre-back Craig Dawson, who turned the ball past his own goalkeeper.

The KMI panel said: “The offside attacker’s actions clearly impact the defender’s ability to challenge for or play the ball. The panel concluded that both the on-field decision (4:1) and the VAR’s decision not to intervene (4:1) was incorrect.”

The inconsistencies around the rule were on show in the Carabao Cup semi-finals last season. Antoine Semenyo had a goal for City away at Newcastle chalked off because Haaland was deemed to be blocking a defender on the line.

But Ben White’s header for Arsenal against Chelsea was given, despite Viktor Gyokeres being in an offside position, while he also blocked a defender on the line.

A growing catalogue of incidents suggests match officials and those in the VAR room aren’t themselves sure of the rules. It shouldn’t be difficult to work out who is interfering with play, and if an attacker is trying to get to a ball in the six-yard box, or is involved in a tussle with a defender on the goalline, it looks a fairly simple decision to make.

Football administrator and entrepreneur Ranjit Bajaj has moved the court seeking directions to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to immediately notify the schedule for elections to its Executive Committee and complete the process within a time-bound period.

In his writ petition, Bajaj has sought a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate direction requiring the AIFF to conduct its elections strictly in accordance with its Constitution and the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

Bajaj has also sought directions for completion of the entire electoral process, including declaration of results, within a timeframe to be fixed by the court.

The petitioner has further sought an interim restraint on the present AIFF Executive Committee from taking policy decisions or decisions having long-term, financial or otherwise irreversible consequences in relation to the federation’s affairs until the elections are completed.

The petition also seeks any other order that the court may deem fit in the interest of justice.

Bajaj’s plea comes against the backdrop of the AIFF’s decision to defer its elections as it transitions to the new electoral framework under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

In his petition, Bajaj has contended that the AIFF has already adopted an NSGA-compliant Constitution and completed its constitutional alignment, and therefore there is no justification for any further deferment of its elections.

He has also relied on the court’s July 17, 2026 order in the All India Tennis Association case, arguing that compliance by state associations cannot be treated as a pre-condition for holding elections to the national federation.

According to Bajaj’s plea, the alignment of state associations should be undertaken by the newly elected Executive Committee after the national federation’s elections, rather than being used as a reason to postpone the electoral process.

The petitioner has accordingly urged the court to direct the AIFF to initiate and complete the election process at the earliest.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland felt the need to apologise for action following his side’s Manchester derby triumph in the Premier League

Erling Haaland jokingly apologised to the Premier League after crashing their broadcast when taking a selfie after the Manchester derby. The Norwegian striker scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half but it arrived in controversial fashion.

The linesman initially flagged Haaland offside after he turned home Josko Gvardiol’s cross. However, VAR recommended the goal be given after discovering that he was actually behind Patrick Dorgu and that Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position, did not impact the play.

United push for an equaliser and forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a superb save from Bryan Mbeumo but City held on to claim three points over their local rivals.

After the game, once he had completed all of his post-match media commitments, Haaland captured a moment when on the Old Trafford pitch by himself. He uploaded the photo to his Instagram with the caption: “Nice.”

While it looked as though Haaland was alone, he was actually in the background of Premier League TV analysing the game with Owen Hargreaves. Their official social media account made Haaland aware of this which saw the City striker respond in the comments by simply responding, “sorry”.

Haaland was a little less apologetic when describing how he saw his goal elapse while also praising the players for their determination following Phil Foden’s early red card.

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He said on Sky Sports: “I thought there may have been a flick because normally I don’t go offside. I said to Michael Oliver that I took personal that he thought I was offside.

“I looked over at Enzo [Maresca] and he , like, give me a thumb up, and then I kind of knew that it was a goal. So I kind of prepared myself to go and celebrate.

“I think, honestly, this is one of the better, because the occasion and everything, ten men and everything. Of course, it’s always nice to win football games, never take that for granted, but especially at this, you know, ten men for, I don’t know, almost 60 minutes or something.”

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While City have been commended for the effort shown to win the game, the big talking point coming out of the derby is that Haaland’s goal should have been disallowed.

Pro Ref have acknowledged the mistake and reached out to United on Sunday evening, admitting to an “error of judgment” in their official statement.

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The United States won the women‘s basketball World Cup for a record-extending 12th time, defeating a spirited France 97-79 in the final in Berlin on Sunday.

Perennial red-hot favourites who had not lost a World Cup match since 2006, the Americans were below their best for much of the tournament.

The US trailed by two points at half-time to an energetic France side but turned it on when it mattered, outscoring the Europeans 30-12 in the third quarter.

American veteran Breanna Stewart once again led from the front, scoring a game-high 22 points while Jackie Young hit four crucial threes and finished with 18 points to extend the US’s record to 36 wins in a row at the tournament.

Read moreFrance beats Germany to reach first women’s World Cup basketball final

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark scored just one point in the semi-final but chipped in with some crucial buckets down the stretch, scoring 12 including two threes.

Playing in their first ever World Cup final, France were seeking revenge for their one-point loss in the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics but lost their composure as the Americans turned on the afterburners in the second half.

France’s Gabby Williams, the player of the match in their semi-final win over Germany, scored an impressive 16 points in the opening half but added just four more after that.

Americans vulnerable

The US, huge favourites who are used to dominating World Cups and the Olympics, came into Sunday’s game looking vulnerable, having come close to defeats against unheralded Italy and again against Spain in the semi-finals.

No team had come within 20 points of France as they cruised into a maiden World Cup final and started strongly, ending the opening quarter with a three-point lead and running out to a 14-point lead midway through the second.

Forced to up the ante, the US fought back with Young hitting two quick-fire threes and Clark grabbing one of her own seconds before half-time, cutting France’s lead to two points.

Read moreWemby signs multi-year contract with Spurs, tells fans ‘I’m here to stay’

The US were far more composed after that, with Clark finding her range from the field.

The US took the steam out of the match in the fourth as they kept the French at bay.

Earlier on Sunday, Spain soothed the disappointment of their narrow semi-final loss to the US by claiming bronze with an 81-58 win over Germany.

The Spanish went close to a major boilover on Saturday, pushing the heavily favoured Americans all the way in their semi-final, levelling the scores at 58-58 three-quarters of the way through the match, before the US pulled away.

On Sunday, Spain were in control throughout against the spirited but limited hosts, who had never reached the final four of the tournament as a unified country.

Top-scorer Iyana Martin was one assist away from a double-double, with 20 points while grabbing a game-best nine dimes.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2 to win the US Open on Sunday, expunging the memory of a bitter Flushing Meadows defeat with his second Grand Slam title.

The top-seeded German, who was within two points of the US Open crown in 2020 but fell in five agonising sets to Dominic Thiem, added the trophy to the French Open title he captured this year.

He denied Shelton’s bid to become the first US man in 23 years to lift a Grand Slam trophy.

The 23-year-old Shelton was one month shy of his first birthday when Andy Roddick hoisted the 2003 US Open trophy in the last major triumph for a US man.

Hopes were high that Shelton could end the drought after his epic five-set quarter-final victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, and a come-from-behind win over compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals.

But Zverev’s all-court excellence proved too much for Shelton, despite the support of a star-studded Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd trying to will the American to victory.

Read moreWorld No. 1 defends Wimbledon title

With their backing, Shelton surged in the third set, eliminating the errors that Zverev had ruthlessly exploited.

Serving to extend the set, Zverev fell behind 0-40. Shelton fired long on his first set point but on the second Zverev’s forehand volley went wide. Shelton had his first break of the match and they were headed to a fourth set.

Zverev responded immediately, running Shelton ragged through a 24-shot rally until Shelton sailed a backhand wide to drop his serve in the opening game of the fourth set.

Even with a break in hand, Zverev was feeling the tension, from a determined Shelton and the hostile crowd.

At 30-30 in the fourth game, he received a time violation warning as he prepared to serve, but shook it off and won the game with a crisp crosscourt backhand that put him up 3-1.

He rolled home, lifting his arms in triumph after Shelton fired a serve return long on match point and finally receiving his own huge cheer from the crowd.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Given that Sheza Alibi comfortably took out the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday as the $1.60 favourite by a margin of almost three lengths, the beaten brigade did not feel it was a missed opportunity.

However, there were mixed levels of satisfaction among the runners-up, with few leaving as pleased as the connections of Half Yours.

Last year’s Melbourne Cup winner finished sixth, trailing Sheza Alibi by 4.65 lengths. Post-race, the gelding’s jockey, Jamie Melham, could not conceal her excitement.

“Very happy, (I) couldn’t fault him,” she expressed. “He’s very forward this time and I think next start you’ll see and a big improvement in him. He’s not (going to be) needing the run next start.”

Trainer Tony McEvoy, who trains Half Yours in partnership with his son Calvin, shared Melham’s optimism, citing the gelding’s strong finish as a positive sign.

The six-year-old recorded the third-fastest final 800m (45secs), 600m (33.17), and 400m (22.14) of the race, only bettered by Sheza Alibi and the second-place finisher Autumn Boy. He finished just three-quarters-of-a-length behind the top-class galloper Sir Delius.

“They left him flat (footed) when they sprinted, which you’d expect, but then I loved the way he round the race out,” McEvoy noted. “I mean, you’ve got the Cox Plate favourite there, Sir Delius, and I reckon we nearly took two lengths off him in the last 100 metres. I think the horse has run superbly.”

Half Yours is now scheduled to compete in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on October 3, a race where he finished fourth last year, followed by an appearance in the $6 million Cox Plate (2040m) three weeks later.

This will be his final race prior to his attempt to defend his Melbourne Cup crown. The weight he will be assigned for the November 3 event will be disclosed on Thursday.

Racing Victoria handicapper David Heagan is expected to mark the defending champion with 59kg, a considerable rise from the 53kg he carried to victory last year. However, McEvoy stated that the Makybe Diva Stakes performance confirmed that fitness would not be a limiting factor.

“He’s going to be only four runs into a Melbourne Cup and it’s a tough race the Melbourne Cup (over) two miles, they’ve got to be really fit and he will be,” he concluded.

Want to get involved with the racing betting markets for this exciting race? Check out the latest offers at racing betting markets.

First Published: Sep 10 2026 | 12:42 PM IST

Almost all the Asian Games-bound track and field athletes, including fit-again star steeplechaser Avinash Sable, will be in action in the Indian Athletics Series Final here on Thursday as part of their tune-up to the mega event in Japan later this month.

The invitational one-day event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is the culmination of the 15-leg Indian Athletics Series, which was introduced by Athletics Federation of India (AFI) this April.

The national federation has made the finale lucrative by introducing a total prize fund of Rs 65 lakh. The winner in each of the 30 events will pocket Rs one lakh.

The second place finishers will receive Rs 50,000 each while the athletes who ended at third, fourth, fifth and sixth will get Rs 25,000, Rs 20,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.

Except for a few athletes such as long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, high jumper Sarvesh Kushare and triple jumper Praveen Chithravel, all the athletes from the 77-member Indian team for the Asian Games in Japan beginning September 19 will be competing on Thursday.

Sreeshankar, who won a silver in the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and has also crossed the 8m mark in every competition he took part this season, is already in Japan, training at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo ahead of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

The remaining athletes will leave for Japan on Saturday and reach the University of Tsukuba the next day for a short acclimatisation camp. They will reach Aichi-Nagoya on September 21, two days before the start of the athletics events at the Asian Games.

This is not the first time that the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is giving prize money to the winners.

During the 2009 season, the AFI had given out prize money to the top-three finishers in the three Indian Grand Prix series, with the winners handed Rs 15,000 each, amounting to an aggregate of Rs 15 lakh prize purse.

Sable, Yashvir among top draws ======================= Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist javelin thrower Yashvir Singh, who has replaced an injured Neeraj Chopra in the Asian Games team, will be among the top draws alongside Sable, shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, and long jumper Ancy Sojan to name a few.

Thursday’s event is important for Sable as the AFI has made a request to the Asian Games organisers to allow his entry in the 5000m race as well.

But he will have to first breach the qualifying standard (13 minute and 39.18 seconds) set by the AFI at the race on Thursday. His participation in the Asian Games in his pet 30000m steeplechase event, though, is confirmed.

Sable has run just one race this season after undergoing an ACL surgery last year. He won a gold in 3000m steeplechase and a silver in 5000m in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

India’s fastest male sprinter and 100m national record holder Gurindervir Singh, 200m national record holder Animesh Kujur and 400m national record holder Vishal TK are also in fray.

CWG medallist Gulveer Singh is not competing as long distance events are not included in the meet.

Marathon, race walk, heptathlon, decathlon, men’s discus and women’s 200m race have also been excluded.

List of events: Men: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put, hammer throw, javelin throw.

Women: 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put, hammer throw, discus throw, javelin throw.