{"id":20458,"date":"2026-01-15T12:44:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T12:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/15\/the-real-reason-for-the-newcastle-vs-man-city-var-farce-that-infuriated-pep-guardiola\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T12:44:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T12:44:26","slug":"the-real-reason-for-the-newcastle-vs-man-city-var-farce-that-infuriated-pep-guardiola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/15\/the-real-reason-for-the-newcastle-vs-man-city-var-farce-that-infuriated-pep-guardiola\/","title":{"rendered":"The real reason for the Newcastle vs Man City VAR farce that infuriated Pep Guardiola"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It took nearly six minutes for officials to rule out Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo’s second goal in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle at St James’ Park.<\/h2>\n
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Guardiola furious after win against Newcastle (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Josep Guardiola’s extraordinary VAR rant has put refereeing and video technology back in the spotlight.<\/p>\n
During Manchester City’s victory over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final, referee Chris Kavanagh canceled out Antoine Semenyo’s shot after a delay of 5 minutes and 30 seconds.<\/p>\n
A thorough VAR check was then carried out and it was ruled that Erling Haaland was offside, affecting Newcastle defender Malik Thiau’s ability to clear the ball.<\/p>\n
However, it was revealed that the semi-automatic offside technique did not work due to equipment failure, but rather because the six-yard box was so crowded that the players blocked the camera’s view.<\/p>\n
This meant that VAR had to manually draw the line causing delays, which is clearly a major flaw with semi-automatic offsides in that it doesn’t work if the camera is blocked.<\/p>\n
read more: Why was Antoine Semenyo’s goal ruled out? Newcastle vs Man City VAR controversy explained<\/span><\/span>read more: Newcastle star’s reaction to Man City’s VAR travesty says it all – ‘We don’t want to see that’<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
The PGMO (Professional Game Match Official) said it was frustrating and acknowledged the delay was too long.<\/p>\n
It also had a negative impact on matches, but now the average time for VAR checks, including stadium announcements, is less than 50 seconds.<\/p>\n
According to PGMO, this is the best in Europe, and PGMO remains committed to utilizing referee decisions.<\/p>\n
They also boast the lowest VAR intervention rate, which they believe shows good use of refereeing and refereeing decisions.<\/p>\n
Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola has rightly pointed out the fact that he rarely complains to officials and is generally respectful and modest when it comes to big decisions.<\/p>\n
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The VAR check took nearly six minutes (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Should VAR be abolished? Share your thoughts in the comments section below<\/p>\n
However, Guardiola pointed out some inconsistencies, which the PGMO will also say some decisions boil down to subjective ones.<\/p>\n
As in the case with Newcastle, even if the call is legally correct, the final decision is left to the referee.<\/p>\n
But this time, a majority of pundits, fans and neutrals seem to believe that Mr. Kavanaugh was ultimately wrong — and it took forever to do so.<\/p>\n
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