Pep Guardiola describes the VAR call for Phil Foden’s rejected penalty call as ‘unbelievable!’ | Football news

VAR was back in the limelight Wednesday night when a Phil Foden penalty call was not reversed, a decision Pep Guardiola described as “unbelievable!”

With Manchester City’s game against Southampton tied 1-1, Foden stepped into goal before attempting to circle goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, who had slipped to strip the young Englishman.

McCarthy missed the ball and may have brushed past Foden, and although the City man initially fell, he recovered on his feet to retrieve the ball, looking to score.

He eventually had to recycle the ball, due to the narrow angle, and after Jon Moss initially shook up the game, VAR Andrew Madley’s intervention deemed that there had been no “clear and obvious mistake”, to Guardiola’s bewilderment and Sky sports the expert Graeme Souness.

Guardiola also noted controversial calls from the VAR in recent Fulham-Tottenham and Burnley-Arsenal games, and asked the referees to explain the rules again to the players and coaches.

Pep: The decision was incredible!

Pep Guardiola speaking with Sky Sports:

“I don’t understand why Fulham disallowed the goal against Tottenham. I don’t understand Arsenal’s hands vs Burnley. Another example is today’s penalty.

“Jon [Moss] I don’t see it, but the VAR is there, they don’t whistle the penalty, it’s incredible.

“For a long time, maybe four or five years, you never complain about the referees, but this action is really credible. Amazing.

“The VAR exists so that when the referee does not see the action, he can make a mistake, so he checks. But if there is a review and the penalty was not awarded for this action, I do not understand it. Honestly, the same with Fulham and Arsenal.

“Maybe one day they will explain the rule to all the coaches and players.”

Guardiola added in his post-match press conference: “Hopefully one day they can explain what’s going on. Jon, the referee, can’t see it, but VAR, oh my gosh.

“Losing 2-5 I don’t make a comment, after winning you can do it, otherwise it seems like an excuse. Ask the right people why they do it.

“It’s amazing. Maybe one day they will explain the rules and VAR to me. Hopefully one day they can explain what’s going on. But what made me so proud was Phil’s honesty.”

Souness: Officials are made to look like fools

Graeme Souness from Sky Sports:

“The VAR was designed to be a tool to help umpires make fewer mistakes. Credit to Phil Foden for going down and bouncing back automatically, honest boy.

“But another day he will be thinking to himself if this game is really close, if the game had ended in a draw and he had not fallen, everyone would be trapped.”

“But that was a very obvious penalty, we could see it, we can see the same images as Stockley Park. It’s a classic case that the referee for the day doesn’t call him, and Stockley Park supports him by not calling him. They make themselves look really silly.

“You want a clear and obvious mistake? That was it. The referee made a mistake! It is obvious to everyone that there has been contact. If this happens anywhere else on the field, is it not a fault?

“It’s scary. They just make it up as they go along. He doesn’t get any of the ball. These guys in Stockley Park must have been taking a bathroom break or someone making coffee. It’s silly. They make themselves look stupid!”

Foden: I thought it would be a penalty

Phil Foden speaking to Sky Sports:

“I’m an honest guy and I never like to dive. I tried to stay on my feet.

“I thought they were going to send him a penalty, I don’t know what happened. It happens and we had to react after that.”

Whats Next?

Manchester City will now go to Fulham on Saturday at 8pm in the Premier League, before hosting Borussia Monchengladbach in the last 16 second leg of the Champions League in Budapest.

Southampton now host Brighton at noon Sunday in the Premier League.