Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he would not make the same mistake as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and rant about refereeing decisions following the 3-3 draw against Tottenham.
Simon Hooper inexplicably blew his whistle despite Jack Grealish being put through on goal and, asked about the incident after the match, Guardiola refused to criticise the officials:
“Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment. It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action.”
Many City fans on X saw the remarks as a dig towards his former assistant manager, with many praising Guardiola’s ability to criticise both Arteta and the ref at the same time:
bodied Arteta 😭
— 🥷🏾 (@_officialmpho) December 3, 2023
let the gaffer cook
— Baleke jackson 4️⃣5️⃣ (@Balekejackson45) December 3, 2023
Class
— Back of Jeanette (@WarrenB04617988) December 3, 2023
Cook him Pep don’t hold back😭 pic.twitter.com/tV332OlddG
— 🅆🄸🅃🄸🅉🄴🄽 (@TheRSALad) December 3, 2023
The most passive aggressive football manager on the planet. 🤣
— MSM_MCFC (@diasclass) December 3, 2023
Killing two birds with one stone.😂😂
— Psycho🤫😝 (@EdeL0330) December 3, 2023
City do deserve an explanation from the PGMOL
As Guardiola mentions, Hooper originally gave the advantage before stopping the game, which makes the referee’s decision all the more baffling.
For that reason, City should be requesting a full report from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) about what went on.
Gallagher says Hooper has done nothing wrong by the letter of the law
Ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher, who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports, claims it is Hooper’s decision whether to play advantage or not:
“If he’d have waited a second later the whole landscape changes. Technically, by law, he hasn’t done anything wrong. It is the ref’s choice to play advantage, not anybody else.”
That is the reason why Hooper won’t be taken off refereeing duties. He will officiate Sheffield United’s game against Liverpool on Wednesday night.
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