Referee Disappears During Norwich vs Sheffield Wednesday Championship Clash

In a surprising turn of events, referee Matt Donohue disappeared for three minutes during the Championship match between Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday. The match official rushed down the tunnel around the hour mark, seemingly experiencing an equipment malfunction.

During the pause in play, supporters could be heard singing “Where the f***’s the referee!” as they expressed their frustration. After three minutes, Donohue returned to the pitch at Carrow Road, only to be greeted with ironic cheers from the crowd. Chants of “he’s had a s***” from supporters were also reportedly directed at him.

Reacting to the incident on social media, one fan wrote: “Farce at Norwich. Game held up due to a failure of the referee’s earpiece. Embarrassed ref has run off the field into the tunnel.”

Donohue’s Brief Absence Explained

Norwich later confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that Donohue had left the field to have his radio replaced. This match was Donohue’s 14th of the season and 12th in the Championship.

Donohue had previously officiated Wednesday’s home draw with Huddersfield in October and their loss at Hull on matchday two.

Norwich was leading 2-1 at the time of the incident, with goals from Borja Sainz and Ashley Barnes, along with Bailey Cadamarteri’s equalizer for Sheffield Wednesday.

Norwich Secures Victory

After the match resumed, Jonathan Rowe scored to make it 3-1 in favor of Norwich, adding to Sheffield Wednesday’s woes. With this win, Norwich climbed to 11th place in the Championship, while Sheffield Wednesday remains in 23rd place, eight points adrift of safety.

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