Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has likened the decision-making process of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to a “flip of a coin,” expressing his lack of trust in the system since its implementation in England.
This week has seen renewed criticism of VAR following a last-minute goal by West Ham that was disallowed after an extensive review, a decision that significantly affected both ends of the Premier League standings.
Advertisement
Guardiola feels that his team has suffered due to poor officiating and highlighted controversial decisions during their FA Cup final defeats in 2024 and 2025.
“We lost both FA Cup finals because the referees and VAR did not fulfill their responsibilities,” the Spanish coach stated.
City’s defeat to Crystal Palace in last year’s final included a penalty save by goalkeeper Dean Henderson, yet Guardiola pointed out that Henderson might have been given a red card for handling the ball outside the area, which could have altered the match’s outcome.
This followed City’s frustrations from the previous year’s loss to Manchester United, where City felt they were denied two critical penalty calls.
Advertisement
Despite these grievances, Guardiola emphasized that it is the responsibility of the players to minimize reliance on VAR.
“When these situations occur, it means we must improve, not the referees or VAR,” he commented. “I’ve learned over the years that we need to take control and perform better because blaming VAR is akin to calling it a flip of a coin.”
Guardiola’s remarks came ahead of Wednesday’s match against Palace, which City must win to narrow Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to just two points.
Even then, Arsenal would still need to drop points in their final two matches against relegated Burnley and Palace for City to have a shot at the Premier League title.
Advertisement
“It’s not completely in our hands in the Premier League. I always tell the players, ‘Do it, do it, do it better,'” Guardiola added. “The only thing we can control is our own performance.”
Guardiola’s team is set to compete in their third consecutive FA Cup final when they face Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.