Pep Guardiola
May 2026
Pep Guardiola criticised VAR, saying he has “never trusted” the system as Manchester City chase Arsenal in the title race. He described decisions as a “flip of a coin” and urged his players to control outcomes on the pitch rather than rely on officiating reviews.
Real Madrid
April 2026
Real Madrid are angry after Kylian Mbappe was left with a bloodied face in the draw with Girona and no penalty was awarded. Reports say the club want access to the VAR audio to understand why the incident was not reviewed differently. Video and match reports showed Mbappe taking contact to the face inside the box, with the referee waving play on and VAR not intervening. Madrid sources have described it as one of the clearest penalty incidents of the season, and the lack of replay on the official broadcast added to the frustration.
Wayne Rooney
February 2026
Rooney criticised officiating standards after Newcastle beat Aston Villa 3–1, highlighting multiple controversial calls in a match played without VAR. He pointed to a handball incident involving Digne that resulted in a free kick instead of a penalty, calling it one of the worst decisions he had seen. Additional disputed moments included an offside goal and disciplinary calls, reinforcing arguments for VAR use.
Harry Kane
February 2026
Kane scored twice to reach 500 senior goals for club and country. His season output is framed as elite form heading toward the World Cup. One goal came from the penalty spot after Karl was fouled and VAR upheld the decision. The piece also states Kane has scored 41 in 35 this season across competitions and remains perfect on Bundesliga penalties since joining Bayern, converting all 23 attempts.
Erling Haaland
January 2026
Erling Haaland criticised the late VAR decision that disallowed Rayan Cherki’s stoppage-time goal at Anfield and instead sent off Dominik Szoboszlai, arguing officials should have allowed the goal rather than issuing a three-match ban. With Liverpool pushing forward, Cherki released Haaland through on goal. Szoboszlai pulled Haaland back, Haaland then pulled Szoboszlai as the ball trickled in. VAR ruled the goal out for Haaland’s foul and dismissed Szoboszlai for denying a clear chance earlier in the move. Haaland said he felt bad for Szoboszlai and preferred the goal to stand.
Scott McTominay
January 2026
Napoli came from behind to beat Genoa 3-2 with a stoppage-time penalty, with Højlund scoring twice and McTominay also on target, but Conte confirmed his midfielder is playing through an ongoing tendon problem that forced him off at halftime. Napoli trailed to a Ruslan Malinovskyi penalty, then struck back through Højlund and McTominay. McTominay was replaced at the break, Napoli later went down to 10 after Juan Jesus’ red card, conceded an equaliser, then won it via VAR-awarded penalty converted by Højlund.
Pep Guardiola
January 2026
Guardiola argued Tottenham’s first goal should not have stood after a contentious contact in the build-up/finish, as City blew a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2. City led through Cherki and Semenyo, then Solanke scored twice to level; Guardiola said similar contact by a defender on a striker is given as a penalty, and pointed to inconsistency in Premier League officiating.
Jean-Clair Todibo
January 2026
A mass brawl erupted late after Chelsea’s comeback winner, ending with Todibo shown a straight red card for violent conduct. The flashpoint began when Traore shoved Cucurella near the touchline. In the melee, Todibo grabbed Pedro by the throat; VAR reviewed and dismissed him. Players including Palmer and Mavropanos were involved as tempers flared.
Howard Webb
January 2026
Webb said officials were correct to book Dalot rather than send him off for a studs-up challenge on Doku that sparked debate. Webb argued the contact was brief and glancing and lacked the speed and intensity typical of serious-foul-play reds, warning that slow motion and freeze frames exaggerate force and distort real-time assessment that referees and VAR must prioritise.
