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      Pep Guardiola in hilarious Mikel Arteta putdown as Man City boss reacts to refereeing chaos against Tottenham

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      PEP GUARDIOLA fired a hilarious dig towards Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. The Manchester City manager was speaking to Sky Sports following his sides 3-3 draw with Tottenham.
      Pep Guardiola made a joke about Mikel Arteta in his post match interview with SkyCredit: Sky Sports
      He was asked about the referee’s decision to not play advantage when Jack Grealish was through on goalCredit: Sky Sports
      Erling Haaland did not hide his thoughts on the decisionCredit: Getty
      Mikel Arteta famously lost his cool in a post-match interview after Newcastle’s win over ArsenalCredit: PA
      Referee Simon Hooper sparked controversy when he pulled the game back for a foul on Erling Haaland when Jack Grealish was through on goal in the 94th minute despite initially playing advantage.
      Haaland fumed at the decision and after the game left the pitch in an X-rated blast.
      These emotions were seemingly also felt by Guardiola.
      However, the Spaniard managed to keep a better lid on his emotions before even taking a jokey swipe at former assistant Arteta.
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      Asked about Hooper’s call at the end of the game, he said: “Next question.”
      He then pulled a smirk, before adding: “I will not do a Mikel Arteta [style] comment.”
      In early November, Arsenal boss Arteta famously lost his rag after Anthony Gordon’s match-winning goal for Newcastle was allowed to stand amid a catalogue of controversial decisions.
      In that post match rant Arteta had labelled the refereeing a “disgrace”.
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      He softened his view ahead of his side’s win at Wolves on Saturday – and he will find soon whether he will face any punishment for his damning comments.
      On City’s Spurs case, Guardiola said: “Apparently it’s different when you review the image.
      “The referee wants to whistle then wave play on and after the pass whistle so this is what I don’t understand.
      “Anyway, it was an important game which is the most important thing and it’s a pity because I felt with the Liverpool game and today that we put in an incredible performance in all departments.
      “It is a pity [to not win] but football is like life, sometimes you don’t get what you deserve.”
      It is now three draws in a row for Guardiola’s outfit, with the run now leaving them three points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
      Liverpool also sit a point above City. More

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      It would’ve been better if VAR had never existed, here’s the Premier League rule change I’d introduce to sort it out

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      INTO the rumpus about VAR, a new variant steps.Sin bins have long been of interest, even to an experiment in lower leagues which has been proclaimed a success.
      VAR hasn’t improved football, claims SunSport columnist Karren BradyCredit: Rex
      Bins have long been acceptable in rugby too and many other sports.
      I’m no expert on brutes hurtling into each other at speed but it can be brief entertainment amid the endless gaps for head injuries and checking what a pitchside telly made of things.
      No, not wrestling, I mean Sir Clive Woodward’s sport.
      Now the International Football Association Board (IFAB, although not so fab after VAR introduction) are declaring serious interest in sin bins.
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      It’s temporary ten-minute dismissals for offences like dissent. No wonder when dissent leapt from 174 offenders to 345 in our pro game last season.
      It’s a blight but it’d be useful to know how many offences occurred after dubious VAR rulings which have left football feeling like it’s being strangled.
      VAR should be limited to offside, goal-line checks . . . and little else.
      It’s now a ref’s crutch rather than an aid and games are often decided by VAR stinkers, with Newcastle’s Champions League draw at Paris Saint-Germain this week the most recent example.
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      Changes since the Premier League was founded in 1992 are prodigious and mostly positive but include VAR.
      Sir Bobby Charlton and Terry Venables, both of whom died this autumn, were not much involved in the Prem as it grew from its infancy.
      It became rich and influential and, as a player and manager, Venables in particular must have been envious of rewards in the latter years of his 80.
      Twice capped by England, he was a good enough midfielder to bank more than £100,00-a-week these days.
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      Brady would limit VAR’s involvement to basic checksCredit: Getty
      A clever and admired man, his CV included a LaLiga title with Barcelona, an FA Cup with Tottenham and numerous promotions, so he’d have regarded £100,000 as penny-pinching.
      Charlton was a football great as good as George Best in a Manchester United forward line that also boasted another exciting player in Denis Law.
      I doubt there has ever been a better front three anywhere but English football then wasn’t rich enough to compete with foreign big shots for stars.
      It is different today in a world where you can bring in  players from, say, South Korea to North Macedonia.
      It was the Prem who supercharged the change and now their squads  are only 30 per cent British on average.
      But Scottish players are nearly as rare as 100 per cent proof whisky.
      Not all changes are for the best, though, and although the temptation to cheat has always existed, VAR appears to have encouraged players to take penalty area dives and fake head injuries in order to waste time.
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      But better coaching has heightened entertainment and helped attract capacity crowds to 95 per cent of games and a massive overflow on television.
      Once regarded as the enemy at the gate, TV is now beloved as publisher and paymaster. More

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      Forgotten Chelsea flop handed huge fine and ban after storming into referee’s dressing room in ‘aggressive manner’

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      EX-CHELSEA star Matt Miazga has been punished for storming into the referee’s dressing room.The FC Cincinnati defender has been slapped with a three-match ban and an undisclosed fine.
      Matt Miazga acted ‘aggressively’ when confronting refs after a gameCredit: AP
      Miazga received a second booking during a penalty shootout against his former club New York Red Bulls for goading opposition fans after converting his spot-kick.
      Cincinnati won 8-7 on penalties – but the victory and spot in MLS Eastern Conference semi-finals were not enough to calm the hothead down.
      After the match finished, Miazga charged into the officials area and had to be removed by security.
      A statement from the PSRA, who look after referees in the United States, said that he “acted in an aggressive and hostile manner”.
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      Having picked up a three-game ban, Miazga will now be unavailable for the Eastern Conference final against Columbus Crew.
      He will also be suspended for the MLS Cup final against either Los Angeles FC or Houston Dynamo should Cincinnati win their match.
      Miazga was on the books of Chelsea from 2016 to 2022.
      He played just twice for the Blues and was loaned out to Vitesse, Nantes, Reading, Anderlecht and Alaves during his six-year stay.
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      The 28-year-old is now back in his homeland of America and has impressed this season, being named MLS Defender of the Year.
      Miazga will also be forced to undergo an assessment as part of the league’s Substance Abuse and Behavioural Health initiative. More

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      Premier League club exec BANNED by FA after calling referee Anthony Taylor ‘f***ing useless’

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      WOLVES’ sporting director has been fined and handed a BAN after swearing at referee Anthony Taylor.The FA charged Matt Hobbs with misconduct after he called Taylor “f***ing useless” following Wolves’ 2-2 controversial draw with Newcastle.
      Wolves chief Matt Hobbs has been banned for a game after swearing at Anthony TaylorCredit: Getty
      Hobbs called Taylor ‘f***ing useless’ after Wolves’ controversial draw with NewcastleCredit: AFP
      Gary O’Neill’s side went behind to a questionable penalty following an extremely lengthy VAR check.
      The Wolves manager himself branded the decision “scandalous.”
      And following the game, Hobbs swore at Taylor while also sarcastically saying “we look forward to your apology again.”
      Hobbs, who expressed remorse over his misconduct, said he had become “increasingly frustrated” over the decisions from Taylor.
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      He has now been banned for Wolves’ next game against Arsenal.
      And Hobbs must also pay a £4,000 fine after Wolves were caught up in another VAR storm against Fulham.
      Boss O’Neill was left incensed as the Cottagers were handed two controversial penalties in a 3-2 win, while also seeing Fulham escape several red cards.
      And he claims referee Michael Salisbury ADMITTED he and VAR had got crucial decisions wrong during the game.
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      O’Neill said: “We discussed a lot of decisions. Vinicius should have been sent off for headbutting Max [Kilman]. Clear, he headbutts him on the nose. Isn’t sent off, is given a yellow.
      “Tim Ream should have been sent off for a second bookable offence on the penalty. They’re both my opinions on those, obviously everyone can have their own.
      “The penalties that went against us, Nelson plays the ball, doesn’t touch Tom Cairney. I watched that back with the referee and, to be fair to him, he says he thinks they’ve got that wrong and he should have been sent to the monitor.
      “Doesn’t help me, doesn’t help all the fans that have travelled all this way to watch the team, doesn’t help the players who are feeling frustrated again.
      “So the Nelson one has pretty much been admitted by the referee that they made a mistake.
      “The one on Harry Wilson we disagree on a little bit. He thinks there’s enough contact there to give a penalty. I think it’s really soft.
      “So you could argue two of them could go against us, but for all four of them to go against us is a tough one for the lads, the supporters and myself to take because we’ve been here a lot of times this season. 
      “It’s tough because we didn’t deserve that.” More

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      Fans call ‘FIX’ as Galatasaray have goal vs Man Utd ruled out for controversial VAR after McTominay handball ignored

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      FANS believe Manchester United’s clash with Galatasaray has been rigged after the Red Devils benefitted from a tight offside call and a controversial handball decision.The Red Devils raced into a 2-0 lead in Istanbul but could have gone into half-time all square.
      Mauro Icardi was judged to be offside by the highest of margins
      Scott McTominay was not penalised after the ball struck his arm
      Hakim Ziyech pulled one back and Mauro Icardi then fired past Andre Onana – only to be called offside.
      The lino flagged the striker offside and VAR backed up his decision in a matter of seconds – seemingly without drawing the lines.
      Even the semi-automated system sparked controversy as Harry Maguire appeared to play Icardi onside with the top of his arm.
      A fan reacted saying: “Never offside. Such a disgrace.”
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      Another remarked: “Where were the lines? He looks on.”
      And a third wrote: “Robbery.”
      Galatasaray also could have had a penalty but Scott McTominay was judged not to have committed a handball despite the ball striking his arm in the penalty box.
      Fans were outraged by the decision – particularly as it came less than 24 hours after Newcastle defender Tino Livramento was punished for a lesser offence.
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      The right-back was penalised for handball despite the ball coming off his thigh first before hitting his arm with the faintest of touches.
      Champions League referees have been quick to point to the spot whenever a ball strikes a players hand in the area – as United found out to their advantage and their detriment in their previous European clash against Copenhagen.
      United have conceded a penalty in their four previous Champions League games, yet some fans feel the referee letting them off means the game is a fix.
      One said: “Think about it… Uefa will lose a lot of profit if United don’t make it through, so they will do as much as they can to make them qualify.
      “RIGGED 🥴🥴🥴”
      Another added: “This is a clear penalty, VAR rigging the match for Manchester United again smh💔🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️”
      A third said: “To be honest that was a clear penalty, fix is def in tbh.” More

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      Former Premier League star who once roomed with David Beckham now ‘giving something back’ in very different footie role

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      FORMER FOOTBALLER Vance Warner is now “giving something back” in a very different role.The retired defender played in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest and even roomed with David Beckham on international duty.
      Former footballer Vance Warner is now a grassroots refereeCredit: Getty
      However, he has spent the last 13 years as a grassroots referee in South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.
      As a player, Warner represented England at under-18 level as part of a team which included Sol Campbell, Robbie Fowler and room-mate Beckham.
      Since hanging up his boots, though, the 49-year-old has found himself holding the whistle in the centre of the pitch.
      “I was asked if I wanted to become a referee to help with my son’s team when he was about eight years old,” he told the BBC.
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      “Of course I said ‘no’ because who wants to be a referee? No one grows up wanting to be a referee as far as I’m aware.
      “Then I thought, you know what? This is a perfect opportunity to give back to my son’s club, and because I have played football, maybe I’ve got a little more credibility when they ask me ‘well, what do you know about football, ref?’ I can go, ‘I can tell you a few stories’.”
      He has remained as a Level Seven accredited official, dubbed “basically entry level” by Warner, during his time as a referee.
      Explaining why he has chosen to continue to oversee junior games, he added that it is where he feels he can “contribute the most”.
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      Warner played in the Premier League and was an England youth international before retiring through injuryCredit: Getty
      Warner came through the academy at Forest before making four Premier League appearances for his boyhood club.
      He also had loan spells with Grimsby and Rotherham, who he would later join permanently.
      However, Warner retired aged just 25 in 2000 after a series of serious knee injuries. More

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      Uefa recommended handball rule change that would have stopped Newcastle heartache against PSG

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      NEWCASTLE felt hard done by after conceding a late penalty against Paris Saint-Germain. The Magpies were leading going into the final minute before the ball struck the arm of Tino Livramento in the penalty area.

      Newcastle felt hard done by after conceding a late penaltyCredit: Getty
      The ball bounced off Tino Livramento’s chest before it hit his armCredit: TNT Sports
      Referee Szymon Marciniak initially waved away PSG appeals before VAR overturned the call, with Kylian Mbappe duly scoring an equaliser from 12 yards.
      However, replays showed that the ball had come off his chest first.
      Under Uefa rules, Livramento was deemed to have made his body unnaturally bigger with his arm.
      But in a series of recommendations for the 2023/24 season, Uefa’s Football Board – an independent advisory group – had in April proposed a change that would have saved Newcastle’s skin in the final minutes.
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      The statement on the organisation’s website, said: “With regard to the Laws of the Game, which stipulate that not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offence, the Board issued the following recommendations for next season for better compliance of the Laws with the nature of the game:

      In their guidelines for the next season, the Board recommends that UEFA should clarify that no handball offence should be called on a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body and, in particular, when the ball does not go towards the goal.
      On the same notice, the Board recommends that not every handball should automatically lead to a caution after every shot at goal, as anticipated by current guidelines.
      The Board encourages the referees to be more decisive in cautioning players who display unsporting behaviour, especially when attempting to deceive the referee by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled.
      UEFA should launch an initiative towards the IFAB for the amendment of Law 12, which foresees that a player should be sent off for denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a handball offence. The Board feels players should be sent off only if they deliberately and intentionally touch the ball with their hand/arm. In case of other handball offences, the players should only be cautioned.”

      Keith Hackett, former general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the English referees’ body, told the Daily Telegraph that this recommendation was not implemented by Uefa for its own competitions.
      The Premier League, meanwhile, operates under more lenient handball rules.
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      TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist suggested Eddie Howe’s side had been “robbed” by the decision.
      He said: “That is a shambles! Honestly, that’s not on. It hits his chest, goes off his left elbow. If that’s a penalty, we may as well give the game up!
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      “It’s never a penalty, we’ve been singing his praises all night. If he’s the best ref in the business, how has he given that?! There is no way that that penalty kick should be given.
      “That’s not on, I feel for Eddie Howe and those players, I genuinely do. It’s bordering on robbery, it really is.”
      Fellow pundit Jermaine Jenas echoed this sentiment while Toon legend Alan Shearer also shared an X-rated post on social media with his own thoughts on the matter.
      Jenas added: “I think that’s a shocker from the referee. He had such a good game and to give that right at the end, he’s caved to be honest with you.
      “I think the players from Paris Saint-Germain put so much pressure on him throughout the match, he’d performed so well, but for that to happen in that moment like that, it doesn’t feel right.
      “It’ll be a tough one to swallow for the players but Eddie Howe should be so proud of his team.
      “They’re down to their bare bones, they’ve worked their socks off and they should’ve left Paris with all three points.”
      Meanwhile, Shearer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Do me a f***ing favour man. What a load of s***.”
      Alexander Isak had put the Magpies ahead in the opening stages by taking advantage of a spilt save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
      However, Newcastle were soon penned back into their own half and defended resolutely before seeing their hard work undone by Kylian Mbappe’s 98th-minute spot kick.
      A 3-1 win for Borussia Dortmund at AC Milan means it is a one-game shootout for one of three teams to progress into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
      PSG sit on seven points, while Newcastle and Milan both sit on five.
      The Toon host Milan in their final group stage game, knowing they must win to stand a chance of progressing to the Last 16.
      A defeat will see them knocked out of European football entirely. More

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      Football rule change set to stop time-wasting goalkeepers for good with new punishment proposed

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      TIME-WASTING goalkeepers are set to be punished with a CORNER being awarded against them in a major new proposed Law change.And English professional football could trial sin-bins for dissent and cynical game-stopping fouls as soon as next season.
      The new rule will come in to prevent time wasting from goalkeepersCredit: Getty
      The Law-making International FA Board has agreed that keepers are routinely abusing the “six second” rule and that action is required.
      While a formal proposal is unlikely to be brought in for next term, the belief is that making sure there is a suitable punishment for time-wasting will ensure keepers speed up play when they have the ball in their hands.
      Fifa refs’ chief Pierluigi Collina explained: “I have seen keepers with the ball in their hand for 10, 15, 20, 25 seconds. That’s not acceptable.
      “The issue was that giving an indirect free-kick inside the box might be considered too harsh a punishment.
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      “But we think we have found a solution.
      “We may consider increasing the time given to the goalkeeper – sometimes six seconds is too little.
      “But then they have to expect this alternative punishment would be given.”
      It is thought likely that an extension to 10 seconds for a keeper to keep the ball in their hands will be written into the Laws.
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      And FA chief executive Mark Bullingham added: “We talked about whether there was a way where you concede possession but without it being a huge punishment.
      “People feel an indirect free-kick so close to the goal is too much but if you had a corner given, you’d be conceding possession, but not giving such a clear goalscoring opportunity.”
      The potential change is more likely to be introduced for the 2024-25 season although it could come earlier.
      But the Ifab did agree to global trials of sin-bins and new Laws allowing only the team captain to approach the referee in a bid to clamp down on misbehaviour.
      Protocols will be drafted over the next few months with a view to confirming trials from next season.
      That could even see sin-bins introduced in the Women’s Super League or FA Cup next term – although that has yet to be decided.
      Ifab says the plan is to root out “anti-football behaviour”, with deliberate game-stopping fouls and mouthing off at officials top of the hit-list.
      Bullingham explained: “The areas we were looking at were dissent and tactical fouls.
      “There’s a real frustration for fans when they’re watching games when they see a promising counter-attack that’s ruined by that sort of foul.
      “We asked if a yellow card is sufficient punishment for that and don’t believe it is.”
      Players judged guilty of the offences will get 10 minutes on the sidelines in addition to the yellow card – with a second offence caution still bringing dismissal.
      The Wembley boss added: “You can call it a tactical foul, cynical foul or professional foul.
      “But it’s a foul that prevents a promising attack and they do it consciously knowing they’re going to only get a yellow card.
      “We don’t think they would do it if they felkt there would be a sin-bin for that and 10 minutes out of the game.”
      Ifab also agreed new Laws to come into effect from next term which will see all deliberate defensive hand-ball offences in the penalty box bringing red cards and that will mean the ball must overhang or touch the centre of the spot at penalties.
      Goalkeepers will concede corners in the event of time-wastingCredit: Getty More