Do-over: FA Cup game to be replayed because of referee error

By: The Associated Press Posted: 12:12 PM CDT Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

LONDON (AP) — Manchester United only got a mea culpa for a refereeing error in a 1-0 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.

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LONDON (AP) — Manchester United only got a mea culpa for a refereeing error in a 1-0 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.

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LONDON (AP) — Manchester United only got a mea culpa for a refereeing error in a 1-0 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.

Woodford Town is getting a full game replay.

An FA Cup qualifying match will be replayed because of a refereeing mistake made in Mulbarton Wanderers’ 2-1 win over Woodford last weekend, both lower-division clubs announced Friday.

Man City fans cheer during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

The original result has been voided and the teams are set to square off again Tuesday.

Woodford had filed a protest with the English Football Association based on the referee’s ruling following a penalty in the first half.

Woodford scored from the spot but the referee disallowed it because of encroachment by its own players.

The match official then awarded an indirect free kick for Mulbarton. But Woodford argued to an FA panel that was a mistake.

“The sub-committee concluded that a technical error had been made by the referee, determining that the correct outcome under Law 14 should have been either the awarding of the goal or the ordering of a penalty retake,” Woodford said in a statement.

As a result, it said, the FA determined that “the original fixture was not completed in accordance with the 2026-27 FA Cup Rules,” and must be “replayed in its entirety.”

Mulbarton said in its statement Friday the FA had originally determined the protest was not allowed, but that Woodford further appealed and prevailed with a rules sub-committee.

“The club is deeply upset and disappointed by this decision, the impact that it will have upon our football club, and the potential wider implications regarding the finality of results for any FA Cup match in the future played by any team and the integrity of the game as a whole,” Mulbarton said.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer