After one of the match officials for the match between Manchester City against Borussia Dortmund this week received a lot of criticism for asking Erling Haaland for an autograph, the reason for his actions have since been revealed.
City defeated BVB 2-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, but there were a few questionable decisions throughout the game, with the biggest talking point coming after the final whistle.
Linesman Octavian Sovre ran after Haaland in the tunnel to ask him for his signature, and the incident was caught on camera.
Although Pep Guardiola downplayed the incident when asked about Sovre's actions, the match official was heavily criticised by several pundits.
"They had a difficult first half and they got a lot of things wrong in that first half," Owen Hargreaves said on a BT Sports broadcast.
"You can be a fan, but you can't do that in front of the other players, it just doesn't look right."
However, it has since been revealed that Sovre did not get the autograph for himself, but because he is raising funds for an autism centre.
"That autograph is for a noble cause," SOS Autism Bihor Association president Simona Zlibut said, as per the Daily Mail.
"Maybe people don't know, but Tavi (Sovre) is directly involved in supporting this association. He has helped us a lot all these years!"
— Emanuel Rosu (@Emishor) April 7, 2021
