Manchester City have been on the receiving end of some hugely questionable officiating in the view of head coach Pep Guardiola.The Catalan manager’s frustration surfaced following his side’s 0-2 v...
Manchester City have been on the receiving end of some hugely questionable officiating in the view of head coach Pep Guardiola.
The Catalan manager’s frustration surfaced following his side’s 0-2 victory over Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final – a result that placed City firmly in control of the tie ahead of the return meeting at the Etihad Stadium next month.
While the focus for many was on another decisive attacking display, Pep Guardiola instead used the opportunity to highlight what he believes has been a recurring issue with refereeing standards in matches involving his team.
Manchester City took the lead through Antoine Semenyo before Rayan Cherki added a late second goal, sealing an important away win in a contest that could easily have swung differently. Newcastle struck the woodwork twice when the game was goalless, while James Trafford was required to make a crucial intervention to deny Yoane Wissa.
The comments from Pep Guardiola also tied into the wider narrative emerging from recent fixtures, with both players and staff increasingly vocal about controversial decisions. Semenyo himself had only just issued his own pointed reaction to a disallowed goal, reinforcing the idea that City’s camp feel key moments are being incorrectly judged.
And speaking after Manchester City’s 0-2 win over Newcastle on Tuesday night, Pep Guardiola did not hold back when conversing with Sky Sports over the standard of officiating in a previous meeting at St James’ Park.
“Four officials and VAR aren’t able to take a decision, and have to go to the referee. I don’t understand why in the 60th minute in the Premier League game [at St James’ Park], with [Fabian] Schar and the penalty on Phil [Foden], VAR didn’t say anything,” said Guardiola.
He continued, “I don’t understand in the 20th minute in the Premier League game here, the penalty for Jeremy [Doku] with [Malick] Thiaw – take a look, take a look. Go to Sky and ask the analysts- Shush, I didn’t finish.
“And in the second goal [for Newcastle in November], the line was really, really perfect like today, millimetres. I don’t understand. But I’m pretty sure the official is going to call me tomorrow to explain why VAR didn’t intervene in these two clear penalties at 0-0 here.
“And I tell you today! Look at my press conference [in November], I didn’t say anything. Today, VAR intervened. I was waiting in that moment. Two UNBELIEVABLE penalties, and it didn’t happen. But it’s OK. We know how it works, and that will make us stronger.”
In response to a separate question, but remaining on the subject of officiating decisions in Manchester City matches, Guardiola said, “In 10 years, 10 years here, I know what happened… But it’s OK, we won a lot!”
Pep Guardiola’s words suggest that while frustrations run deep, they are also shaped by long-term experience rather than a single incident, hinting at a belief that City must accept such adversity as part of the challenge and use it as motivation.
Looking ahead, attention will turn to whether these remarks prompt any official response from refereeing bodies, particularly with the return leg of the semi-final approaching and Manchester City continuing to compete on multiple fronts.
For City, the priority remains translating strong performances into silverware, but Guardiola’s latest outburst ensures that officiating standards and VAR consistency will remain a major talking point alongside their pursuit of further trophies.
Category: General Sports
