Pep Guardiola backs referees amid Nottingham Forest controversy, says ‘never had doubts’ over their integrity
Premier League: Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown - Pep Guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has sided with the referees amid the ongoing controversy after Nottingham Forest questioned the integrity of officials in the Premier League.
Guardiolasaid he "never had doubts" as therefereeswere doingtheirbest on the field.
"They do their job as best as possible. When they do the job, they want to do it well. The game is so difficult. It is fast and quick. Decisions have to be made in one instant. It's not easy,"Guardiola said.
"They feel the pressure, we put pressure on them for the passion of the game, for the moment. When I sit here and reflect they try to do their best and are under scrutiny with the cameras there," he added.
While Guardiola extends support to the referees, fans have questioned whether it is because of Manchester City's UAE links and how it benefits the officials and club.
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Notably, City is owned by UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour and a significant number of PL referees freelance in the UAE and Saudi Arabia when the league is not on. There have been demands that PL stop the freelancing gigs as City might receive favourable calls in their favour from the referees.
What happened with Forest?
Guardiola's statement comes after Forest on Sunday (Apr 21) issued a scathing statement after they were allegedly denied three penalties, according to their penalty consultant Mark Clattenburg. Forest went on to lose the match 0-2 against Everton and find themselves just one point off Luton Town, who occupy the final relegation spot.
According to Forest, VAR official Stuart Attwell was a Luton fan and could have given the wrong instructions to the on-field referee leadingto their defeat.The consequences of Sunday’s result could see Forestget relegated at the end of the season.
After Forest levelled the accusations, the Premier League issued a strongly-worded statement saying it was disappointed by the actions of the club.
“The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following its match against Everton,” Premier League wrote on their X handle.
“We notethe FA has confirmed it willbe investigatingthe club’s statement.It is never appropriate to improperly question the integrity of match officials, and the nature of these comments means the Premier League will also be investigating the matterin relation tothe League’s Rules,” the statement added.
(With inputs from agencies)