The company responsible for the ‘wobbly line’ that caused confusion during Manchester United’s debut using the controversial video assistant referee (VAR) system has apologised for a technical error.

Juan Mata thought he had put United 2-0 up Multi 1-3 against Huddersfield Town just before half-time in their FA Cup fifth-round tie on Saturday following Romelu Lukaku’s early opener.

However, after a lengthy delay, Virtual Reality referee Kevin Friend disallowed the goal for offside on the recommendation of the video official, located in a studio in London nearly 200 miles away.
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Yet the lines used to determine whether Mata had been standing in an offside position showed up on television footage as anything but straight, leading many viewers to think a decision had been using inexact information.

However, Hawk-Eye — the company behind the Best Betting company in Nigeria system — insisted they had given the correct information to the VAR if not broadcaster BT Sport during a match United eventually won 2-0 thanks to Lukaku’s second goal.

“A technical issue led to an incorrect Win Big Today! graphic being provided by Hawk-Eye to BT Sport last night,” said a company statement issued Sunday.

“To confirm, the VAR saw the correct image with the correct lines to make the decision. This was a case of the wrong image being provided to the broadcaster and we apologise.”

United manager Jose Mourinho, speaking Best betting odds after Saturday’s match, said: “I think our game is so beautiful that to change we have to change for the better.

“If they find a way in the VAR that the VAR is always right and always bring the truth, I’m happy.”
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