Josep Guardiola was left unhappy with the referee when his handball penalty was denied during Manchester City’s win over Wolves
Pep Guardiola was frustrated by the penalty decision (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Referee Farai Haram will not be in charge of this weekend’s Premier League match. This comes after Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola was left stunned after his side failed to score a penalty in their 2-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Hallam, 32, took charge of his first game in English football’s top division when he took to the pitch at the Etihad Stadium at the weekend. When called to the pitchside monitor by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team, he chose to stick to his original decision and made a bold statement.
Hallam was told to revisit the incident in which City forward Omar Marmouche cut the ball back into the arms of Elson Mosquera. Despite seeing the footage, the official opted to uphold the original decision of no penalty, insisting the Wolves defender’s arm was in a “natural position” amid calls for a handball.
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Coach Hallam said in front of a crowd of approximately 53,000 people, “After careful consideration, the ball hit the arm of a Wolves player who was in a natural position, so the on-field ruling remains.”
The result mattered little, as Marmouche’s goal and Antoine Semenyo’s second just before half-time gave City a comfortable 2-0 victory. Despite this, Guardiola remained furious at not being awarded a penalty.
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Hallam is not included in this weekend’s top flight matches. He is not listed as a referee, assistant, fourth official, VAR or assistant VAR referee in any match.
PGMOL will not appoint a referee who has made his Premier League debut to referee the next match. Tom Kirk made his debut as a Premier League referee in early December, and it was a month before he took to the pitch again in the top flight.
Hallam will replace Stoke City with Southampton in the Championship on Saturday. Speaking to the media after the match, Guardiola said, “The player’s arm is out of his body.
The ball hit Mosquera in the arm, but Hallam thought the arm was in a natural position (Image: 2026 Marc Atkins)
“This referee had a great debut… so by now everyone will know about him, but that’s okay. This is the first time they ban the ‘normal’ position of the arms in front of the TV.”
He also criticized PGMOL chief Howard Webb, saying, “I’m still waiting for him to call me and explain to me why there was no penalty.”
It was a crucial result for Guardiola’s side, considering Arsenal lost 3-2 away to Manchester United. With 15 games remaining, City are now within four points of the Premier League leaders.
Manager Guardiola was furious at this decision (Image: 2026 Mark Atkins)
The win ended City’s four-game winless streak in the Premier League. City drew with Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion and lost a derby to United the week before.
They host Galatasaray at the Etihad Stadium in a crucial Champions League match, before traveling to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League to face Newcastle United in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final.
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