Matt Donohue is an English football referee born in Southend, England. He made his Premier League debut on 11 May 2024. Donohue is a Southend-born, Greater Manchester-based official who progressed from assistant refereeing into on-field appointments. He is part of the current Premier League officiating pool and is regularly relevant for pre-match analysis, appointment previews and VAR-focused discussion.
In the 2025/26 Premier League season, Donohue has officiated 3 league matches, averaging 26.33 fouls, 0.67 penalties, 5.00 yellow cards and 0.00 red cards per game. Those numbers point to a strict and card-heavy profile, with a high foul count and frequent stoppages, a noticeable tendency to award penalties, heavy yellow-card output, and no red cards in his Premier League sample so far. For The VAR Verdict, that statistical snapshot helps readers understand the disciplinary threshold and general tone he has shown this season.
Historical coverage is selective. We only show seasons and competitions where our sources provide enough verified referee data, so some older seasons may not be available.
West Ham
6–0
Wrexham
Blackburn
1–2
Sheffield United
West Brom
0–0
Ipswich
Oxford United
0–1
Wrexham
Coventry
0–0
Sheffield Wednesday FC
Swansea
2–2
Middlesbrough
Oxford United
1–1
Charlton
Millwall
1–0
Derby County FC
Bristol City
0–2
Coventry
Fulham
0–1
West Ham
Blackburn
1–2
Bristol City
Coventry
3–1
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
2–4
Coventry
Leicester
2–1
Swansea
Southampton
0–2
Preston North End FC
Hull City AFC
2–1
Leicester
Birmingham
2–2
Sheffield Wednesday FC
Southampton
0–0
Portsmouth FC
Swansea
0–1
West Brom
Preston North End FC
1–0
Ipswich
Leicester
2–1
Sheffield Wednesday FC
Watford
1–2
Burnley
Bristol City
2–1
West Brom
Middlesbrough
2–1
Oxford United
Portsmouth FC
1–2
Plymouth
Millwall
0–2
Bristol City
Preston North End FC
1–1
Millwall
Sheffield United
3–1
Middlesbrough
Sheffield United
2–1
Portsmouth FC
Bristol City
2–1
Blackburn
Leeds
2–0
Norwich City
Sunderland AFC
2–1
Sheffield United
Historical coverage is selective. Only seasons with sufficient verified referee data are shown; some competitions and older seasons are intentionally unavailable when coverage is incomplete.
VAR event counts describe provider-coded incidents. They do not represent The VAR Verdict's editorial judgment on whether a decision was correct or incorrect.
