Pep Guardiola backs referees amid Nottingham Forest controversy, says ‘never had doubts’ over their integrity

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has sided with the referees amid the ongoing controversy after Nottingham Forest questioned the integrity of officials in the Premier League.

Guardiola said he «never had doubts» as the referees were doing their best on the field.

«They do their job as best as possible. When they do the job, they want to do it well. The game is so difficult. It is fast and quick. Decisions have to be made in one instant. It's not easy,» Guardiola said.

«They feel the pressure, we put pressure on them for the passion of the game, for the moment. When I sit here and reflect they try to do their best and are under scrutiny with the cameras there,» he added.

While Guardiola extends support to the referees, fans have questioned whether it is because of Manchester City's UAE links and how it benefits the officials and club.

Notably, City is owned by UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour and a significant number of PL referees freelance in the UAE and Saudi Arabia when the league is not on. There have been demands that PL stop the freelancing gigs as City might receive favourable calls in their favour from the referees.

What happened with Forest?

Guardiola's statement comes after Forest on Sunday (Apr 21) issued a scathing statement after they were allegedly denied three penalties, according to their penalty consultant Mark Clattenburg. Forest went on to lose the match 0-2 against Everton and find themselves just one point off Luton Town, who occupy the final relegation spot.

According to Forest, VAR official Stuart Attwell was a Luton fan and could have given the wrong instructions to the on-field referee leading to their defeat. The consequences of Sunday’s result could see Forest get relegated at the