Guardiola Compares VAR to Coin Flip

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola compared video assistant referee (VAR) decision-making to a "flip of a coin" and stated that he has never trusted the system since its introduction in England. VAR faced increased scrutiny this week following a stoppage-time goal for West Ham against Arsenal that was ruled out after a lengthy review, impacting both ends of the Premier League table.

Guardiola expressed his belief that his side has been on the wrong end of referee decisions, particularly referencing calls in the FA Cup final defeats to Crystal Palace in 2024 and Manchester United in 2025. "We lost the two finals of the FA Cup because the referees didn’t do their jobs they should do, even the VAR," the Spaniard remarked. Manchester City lost to Crystal Palace in the 2024 final after goalkeeper Dean Henderson saved a penalty, with Henderson possibly facing a red card for handling outside the area, an incident that could have changed the outcome. Guardiola noted that City was left aggrieved after the previous year’s loss, citing that they should have been awarded two penalties in the game against Manchester United.

Before describing the situation further, Guardiola noted that it was up to the players to minimize the impact of VAR. "When this happens it is because we have to do better, not the referees or VAR," he explained. "I never trust anything since I arrived a long time ago. Always I learned you have to do it better, do it better, be in a position to do it better because you blame yourself with what you have to do, because (VAR) is a flip of a coin."

Guardiola spoke ahead of a pivotal match against Crystal Palace, stating that his team needed to win to cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to two points. He acknowledged that it was not within their hands in the Premier League, emphasizing that the team could only focus on improving their own performance. "Of course it is not in our hands in the Premier League. Always I say to the players, 'Do it, do it, do it better,'" he added.

Guardiola’s side is set to play in their third FA Cup final in three seasons when they meet Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.