- Liverpool denied clear goal
- Guardiola has sympathy for referees
- Wants match officials to take step back
WHAT HAPPENED? Guardiola has shared his thoughts on referees and VAR after a controversial weekend which saw Liverpool have a perfectly good goal chalked off for offside during a 2-1 loss to Tottenham. The PGMOL subsequently confirmed the goal should have stood, leaving Guardiola to call on match officials to move out of the spotlight.
WHAT THEY SAID: "They will have to find a system where the main roles are the players and the game itself. In all the countries, not just here. The referees and the VARs are the leading roles," he told reporters. "And the Oscar goes to… they have to make a step back. It’s the players. Some games, be more humble and leave the players to do what they have to do, and they will be better. They will be better."
AND WHAT'S MORE: Guardiola also made it clear he has sympathy for Liverpool, who saw their unbeaten start to the Premier League season ended by the defeat.
“It changed the job of the referees because now they don’t make the decisions, the important decisions are made by VAR. But then if VAR makes a mistake you have a problem," he added. “I understand completely how upset Liverpool in this case must be. The bosses of the referees will decide what we have to do and we will follow them.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The Reds have since slammed the PGMOL's decision to disallow the goal and have also asked for audio of the discussion between the VAR and the match official to be released.
Next Match
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? City are back in Champions League action on Wednesday at RB Leipzig, while Liverpool play in the Europa League on Thursday against Union Saint-Gilloise.