Match Officials: Matthew Donohue to referee Manchester City vs Salford City | OneFootball

The Football Association have confirmed the team of match officials for this weekend’s FA Cup fourth round tie at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City are once again aiming to go all the way in the competition having lost each of their last two FA Cup Final appearances to Manchester United and Crystal Palace, reaching the final stage of the competition in all of the last three seasons.

Pep Guardiola and his players’ opening round in the latest edition of the FA Cup saw a record-equalling scoreline executed at the Etihad Stadium, dismissing of League One side Exeter City via a staggering 10-1 outcome.

As for this weekend’s opposition in nearby side Salford City, whom Manchester City faced in the third round of last season’s competition, they currently lie sixth in League Two coming into the clash at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.

The FA Cup often provides Guardiola with the perfect opportunity to rest and rotate his side, particularly ahead of a rare midweek off in the coming days owing to the club’s automatic qualification for the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League.

This time, in light of appearances in the third round, Stephen Mfuni and Divine Mukasa have both headed out on loan into the Championship to Watford and Leicester City, while the likes of James Trafford, Rico Lewis, and Max Alleyne could all expect notable minutes.

Ahead of the meeting between Manchester City and Salford City, the Football Association have now announced the list of match officials to oversee proceedings at the Etihad Stadium!

Match Referee

The Football Association have confirmed this week that match referee duties have been appointed to Greater Manchester referee Matthew Donohue – who has predominantly officiated in the Championship so far this season.

Donohue has taken charge of 20 matches across England’s second tier of professional football, the Premier League, and Carabao Cup, issuing 79 yellow cards, one second yellow dismissal, and awarding four penalty kicks in the process.

In a notable moment for the official, this weekend will also mark the first time Matthew Donohue has officiated a match involving Manchester City across all competitions.

Assistant Referees

Accompanying Matthew Donohue at the Etihad Stadium this weekend for the FA Cup fourth round tie with Salford City will be Matthew Smith and Bhupinder Singh Gill in the role of assistant referees.

Video Assistant Referees

Video Assistant Referees (VAR) and Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) will not be utilised in the third and fourth rounds of the 2025/26 FA Cup, but will be used for every tie from this season’s fifth round onwards to ensure a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs.

SAOT will be active from the fifth round onwards at all matches taking place in Premier League stadiums, due to the technology and infrastructure that it requires.

Fourth Official

Standing between the two dugouts and ensuring all is kept in check between Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Salford City’s Karl Robinson will be referee Tom Nield in the role of fourth official.