Referees' Performances | 2025/26

[Blue2112]

I said the same, not even sure he wasted any time. It's 38 minutes, and 1-1, why would he be "wasting time" ?

That ref was a clown from minute 1, he gave pretty much everything in one direction, quite possibly one of the worst referee's we've ever seen, and there's a very large set of bad ones to look at.

The penalty was always going to be given, but it was never a free kick in the build up in the first place.

I'm more annoyed with City tonight though, for the lame way we played that second half, all nice and safe, until it isn't, it's very very frustrating, because Monaco are largely shit.

Agreed about the penalty always going to be given and that it was never a free kick in the first place and I'm also more annoyed at how lame we were. You invite trouble when you have a one goal lead and have lost all impetus. Could see it coming and if I can why the hell can't city. And its always when theres too little time left to do anything about it.

 

[meltonblue]

That's all true, but he didn't actually give a penalty on field, he had to be referred (sorry re-refereed) to the monitor.

Yup. That’s a different argument, personally I would rather get rid of VAR. That ship has long sailed though!

 

[madloaf]

The free kick decision was a shocker. As we're others. The penalty is also bad. It's UEFA. We're used to it. It's why we have to get the 3rd.

 

[meltonblue]

How can it be ‘endangering a player’ if they head-butt your calf?

Nico got the ball, which is his job. Dier didn’t get to the ball but forced a play that led him to head butt Nico’s calf. He rolled around a lot but then got up, without a mark, to take the penalty.

Seems to me that he conned the referee after he failed to get the ball.

Because when Nico makes that move he personally doesn’t know that Dier is that close to heading the ball. If he does it and there’s time to get his foot out of the way before making contact then he wouldn’t give a penalty. Him making that challenge and choosing to contact the ball with his foot that high with his foot is taking a risk. That risk is considered much higher in Europe including in Spain.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

Because when Nico makes that move he personally doesn’t know that Dier is that close to heading the ball. If he does it and there’s time to get his foot out of the way before making contact then he wouldn’t give a penalty. Him making that challenge and choosing to contact the ball with his foot that high with his foot is taking a risk. That risk is considered much higher in Europe including in Spain.

Of course it’s a risk, if he misses the ball and kicks him in the head. That didn’t happen though and the VAR gave the penalty for the opposite, Dier throwing himself forward and failing to get the ball.

Now, don’t get me wrong, if Dier really gets injured from that high leg, then it’s a reckless or dangerous tackle, but he never made the ball and it was him that made contact, not Nico, he just happened to have a part of his body in the way. Would the same be called if Dier twatted Nico’s shoulder?

Never, when I’ve played, have I been punished for somebody running into me.

 

[WestGorton]

If ta Monaco player had shot our whole team he would have got a yellow card.

 

[RayCTID]

Very harsh decision. Not the first dodgy decsion against us and it is not going to be the last. But not the sole reason for the draw.

 

[BM96]

It took a slo mo replay to show Nico made contact with the ball and contact was far less than a second afterwards.

It’s never been about winning the ball, if you do that and are still endangering the opponent, then in Europe in particular it’s given.

It took a replay to give it so I don't agree that you can bring up slo mo for the contact by Nico. He either made contact or he didn't.
He won the ball and didn't stop a goal scoring opportunity, dier wasn't close to winning the ball. I really don't see how it's a pen. What next haaland first shouldn't be given for high boot?
Worst of all it was never a free kick in the first place...

 

[meltonblue]

Of course it’s a risk, if he misses the ball and kicks him in the head. That didn’t happen though and the VAR gave the penalty for the opposite, Dier throwing himself forward and failing to get the ball.

Now, don’t get me wrong, if Dier really gets injured from that high leg, then it’s a reckless or dangerous tackle, but he never made the ball and it was him that made contact, not Nico, he just happened to have a part of his body in the way. Would the same be called if Dier twatted Nico’s shoulder?

Never, when I’ve played, have I been punished for somebody running into me.

It doesn’t matter if he gets injured or not, the interpretation in Europe far more so than here is that if there’s the possibility he can get injured then it’s a foul. Nico has no idea when he makes that challenge if he’s going to make contact with the ball or with Dier first, he doesn’t know where Diers head is. He’s also chosen to use his leg to make contact with the ball at a similar height someone else can make contact with their head.

It’s a huge risk he took and because Dier was so close, he didn’t get away with it.

 

[meltonblue]

It took a replay to give it so I don't agree that you can bring up slo mo for the contact by Nico. He either made contact or he didn't.
He won the ball and didn't stop a goal scoring opportunity, dier wasn't close to winning the ball. I really don't see how it's a pen. What next haaland first shouldn't be given for high boot?
Worst of all it was never a free kick in the first place...

That makes no sense. The contact is irrelevant, that’s my point. The foul is endangering an opponent. Haalands is completely different, he can raise his foot and not be in any danger of making contact with anyone when he does it.

I agree with your last sentence though!

 

[gray740]

The ref as usual was a complete and utter **** not the first time and certainly won't be the last fuck uefa and all they stand for utter bollox twat fuck head **** ref fuck them we have to go above and beyond to get anything in Europe wankers.

 

[BM96]

That makes no sense. The contact is irrelevant, that’s my point. The foul is endangering an opponent. Haalands is completely different, he can raise his foot and not be in any danger of making contact with anyone when he does it.

I agree with your last sentence though!

But he didn't endanger dier, Dier went into Nico. Dier is no way near the ball. How can Nico get penalised for endangering a player who was no way near winning the ball, when Nico did win the ball?

 

[BM96]

That makes no sense. The contact is irrelevant, that’s my point. The foul is endangering an opponent. Haalands is completely different, he can raise his foot and not be in any danger of making contact with anyone when he does it.

I agree with your last sentence though!

Dier endangered himself if he was close to winning the ball I would get your point but he wasn't. That's why I jokingly brought haaland up

 

[cleavers]

None of us like the penalty.

None of us think the free kick was.

None of us like the result of both of those.

However City were pretty pathetic in that second half, and that is why we ended with a poor draw.

 

[Pezzer2]

Sums up everything what’s wrong with the game at the top level. It’s just a lottery whether you get decisions or not . R Madrid and the likes seem to get away with it though

End of the day City should have been out of sight and it re affirms that you need to put games like that to bed because you’re always at risk of a decision like that tonight.

Referee was an absolute joke , Monaco players worked him out from the off , they even reffed the game themselves and just stopped in the tracks if they felt a slight touch knowing the ref would blow . The free kick for their goal was a joke, not a foul in a million years . The penalty decision is never a foul in any normal game of football at lower league level but we all know it’s different rulings with UEFA . It was always going to be given and Nico has given the ref a decision to make !
So frustrating! We are simply a soft touch and we don’t call out any of the horrendous officiating .

 

[ninjamonkey]

Take the penalty decision out of it, that ultimately wasnt even him, he didnt give it, var changed his mind for him and he didnt have the balls to stay with his decision. Plus all the inevitable calls of anti-city corruption that we'll see from the usual nutjobs do nothing but help gloss over the genuine problems with that performance.

His general display was incredibly bizarre. Booking donnarumma for time wasting when he was actively trying to hurry the game up at a time where we were drawing and wanted to try and score made zero sense to anybody. He seemed to book savinho for winning a freekick? Bernardo got booked for exercising his right to speak to the ref as captain? Literally anytime somebody went down holding their face, on either side, instant freekick.

It was the display of somebody I'd question how many lines had they taken, not if they had taken any, and would be recommending checking the guys betting history.

Just a complete shambles of a performance and I strongly suspect it wasnt even close to being out of the norm for this guy. Weird.

 

[BM96]

None of us like the penalty.

None of us think the free kick was.

None of us like the result of both of those.

However City were pretty pathetic in that second half, and that is why we ended with a poor draw.

I'm sorry that's wrong. Yes we were shit in the 2 Nd half, but ref decisions do make a difference and they are more important than how a team played sometimes. Look at Liverpool this season for example they are where they are solely because of refs. They have been wank.

 

[Axel Freed]

Some folk dance in front of the mirror, some shadowbox, some flex their muscles …. whatever, each to their own

Nailed on this guy spends hours flourishing cards in front of the mirror probably in his full kit

 

[blue b4 the moon]

None of us like the penalty.

None of us think the free kick was.

None of us like the result of both of those.

However City were pretty pathetic in that second half, and that is why we ended with a poor draw.

Yeah it was a car crash waiting to happen just bumbling through that second half.

That being said the two crossbar shots in the game and it'd have been a great result.

As ever fine margins.

 

[.db.]

...how are a couple of posters on here not having a problem with that penalty decision?!!! Accepting that as a penalty? Wow.

In UEFA comps, a raised foot is a foul even if you don’t touch the player. Even when you’re about a foot away from the player’s head, the whole of the opposition team screams in unison as if you’ve two footed him in the knee, and the ref always blows for a free kick.

I don’t agree with it. But that’s what European comps are like. It’s like a different sport.

Same with hand balls for penalties. They’re always given no matter what. Even if the player’s arm is in a natural position, it’s given.

The ref was as bad as I’ve ever seen last night. He fell for all but one of their twenty odd dives all night, didn’t give fouls when they ran into our players constantly after they’d passed the ball, booked players for no reason (Donnarumma for timewasting at 1-1 on 38mins, Savinho for being fouled, fucking hell haha!)… but the penalty was always going to be given once VAR asked him to look at it because if how soft Euro games are.