Guardiola Calls VAR Decisions a Flip of a Coin, Cites FA Cup Final Calls

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola compared video assistant referee decisions to the flip of a coin and said he has never trusted the system since its introduction in England.

VAR faced fresh criticism this week after officials ruled out a stoppage-time goal for West Ham against Arsenal following a long review. The call affected standings at both ends of the Premier League table.

Guardiola said his team has suffered from poor refereeing. He pointed to decisions in Manchester City's FA Cup final losses in 2024 and 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 said.

City fell to Crystal Palace in last year's final. Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson saved a penalty, but he could have received a red card for handling the ball outside the area, which might have altered the result.

The year before, City lost to Manchester United and felt robbed of two penalties.

Guardiola told players to remove VAR from the equation by improving their play.

"When this happens it is because we have to do better, not the referees or VAR," he said. "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 before Wednesday's game against Palace. City needs a win to trim Arsenal's lead at the top of the table to two points.

Arsenal still must drop points in its final two matches, against relegated Burnley and Palace, for City to claim the Premier League title.

"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,'" Guardiola said. "The only thing we can do is do it better, that is only in your control."

City will play Chelsea in its third straight FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.