FIFA has officially announced the dismissal of the officials and referees from the recent Manchester City vs Newscastle United match. This decision comes after the referee declared Antoine Semenyo Goal Offside after VAR Check
Pep Guardiola delivered a scathing criticism of VAR and indicated he expects answers from PGMOL head Howard Webb following Manchester City’s 2-0 win at Newcastle United that puts them within touching distance of the League Cup final.
Antoine Semenyo had a goal disallowed after an extended six-minute VAR review, during which Stuart Attwell eventually directed on-field official Chris Kavanagh to check the pitchside monitor. Kavanagh concluded that Erling Haaland was offside and influencing play when Semenyo converted from a corner.
It was later revealed that the lengthy delay stemmed from technical issues with the semi-automated offside technology at the stadium, forcing Attwell to manually draw the offside lines to determine Haaland’s position.
The decision left Guardiola seething, particularly given City’s history of questionable calls at St James’ Park. He referenced their November defeat there, when both Phil Foden and Jérémy Doku were denied what he felt were clear penalties, and Harvey Barnes’ winner came after another prolonged VAR check. He also brought up last season’s FA Cup final, when City felt Dean Henderson should have been sent off for handball.
When questioned about the disallowed goal, Guardiola unleashed his frustration, pointing out the inconsistencies in VAR decisions at Newcastle. He questioned why Fabian Schär’s challenge on Foden wasn’t even reviewed in that previous match, nor was a potential penalty when Doku took a shot. He noted the irony that four officials struggled to make a decision due to tight offside lines, yet Newcastle’s second goal in that earlier match had perfect line technology.
Despite maintaining he’d stayed silent through previous controversial decisions over his decade at City, Guardiola made clear he expects Webb to provide a public explanation.
Earlier in the match, Semenyo had given City the lead—his second goal in four days since his £62.5 million transfer from Bournemouth. Rayan Cherki added a late second to give City a comfortable advantage heading into the February 4 return leg.
The controversy centered on whether Haaland, who was grappling with Malick Thiaw as Tijjani Reijnders’ corner came in, was interfering with play. With Haaland positioned near both goalkeeper Nick Pope and Thiaw, officials had to make a judgment call on his involvement as Semenyo finished. Haaland was technically offside because Pope had moved forward, becoming the last defender.
After reviewing multiple angles, Attwell sent Kavanagh to the monitor for the final decision. Only after this marathon six-minute interruption was Haaland judged to be impeding Thiaw, resulting in the goal being chalked off.
Players actually began warming up during the wait for the verdict, while Guardiola and substitute Gianluigi Donnarumma became involved in heated exchanges with Newcastle’s staff.
City captain Bernardo Silva expressed his exasperation, noting the pattern of contentious decisions going against them at this venue, though he acknowledged the win. Semenyo could be seen telling television cameras at full-time that his goal should have counted.
Guardiola suggested the controversy actually galvanized his squad, saying their anger was palpable and drove their second-half display. He praised the team’s fighting spirit, noting that even Rayan Aït-Nouri, who had just returned from the Africa Cup of Nations the previous day, contributed to the determined atmosphere.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe simply remarked that the delay was excessive, particularly on such a cold evening, admitting he couldn’t understand why it took so long.
Sky Sports co-commentator Chris Sutton called the decision “a sheer guess from the referee” before lamenting that “the game’s gone.”
