Ball War II - After Arteta, now Pep criticizes FA Cup balls
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Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 03.03.25. | 17:02
After having as many as 20 shots off target in a 3-1 win over Plymouth, the Man City boss repeated his former assistant's words, claiming that something was wrong with the balls
Some would say that a bad workman always blames his tools. However, neither Pep Guardiola is a lousy workman (or, in this case, manager), nor are his tools (players) the ones he blames. About a month after his former assistant at Man City, Mikel Arteta, argued that the EFL Cup balls were substandard, Pep claimed the same thing about the FA Cup balls!
Even though the Cityzens beat the Championship side, Plymouth Argyle, 3-1 and secured the quarter-finals (where they'll face Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium), Guardiola was pretty displeased, as his men made as many as 20 attempts off target?!
"The ball in the Champions League is exceptional, the ball in the Premier League is exceptional, this one isn't. It's difficult to control. When you lose it [sounds like] you're complaining, but the ball is not right. In many years it's happened in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, I know it's a business and they come to agreements. You know how many shots went over? Look at other games. Normally the ball goes inside from these shots," the 54-year-old stated via BBC.
"The ball is not good” 😬
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) March 3, 2025
Pep Guardiola wasn’t happy with the ball in the FA Cup!#BBCFootball #FACup pic.twitter.com/3Pskfs5RiL
Now, given that each of the competitions mentioned above uses the balls of different manufacturers (EPL-Nike, UCL-Adidas, EFL Cup-Kipsta, FA Cup-Mitre), Pep could have been right, but FA's spokesperson instantly refuted the Spaniard's claims.
"All footballs in the professional game are required to meet the Fifa Quality pro accreditation, and this ball delivers against all of the testing requirements. Alongside Mitre, we understand that preference is subjective, but we're confident that the ball performs well. With over 350 goals scored in the knockout competition so far, it provides an exciting element to such a competitive tournament," they said.
To make matters worse for Guardiola, several sides like Newcastle, Wolverhampton, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace all had a higher percentage of attempts on target in their FA Cup matches than in their previous EPL clashes.
Interestingly, this was not the first time the Cityzens' gaffer complained about the ball quality, as he had the same objections eight years ago when his crew eliminated Wolverhampton on penalties following a goalless draw in the EFL Cup fourth round.
FA CUP - ROUND 5
Friday
Aston Villa - Cardiff 2-0 (0-0)
/Asensio 68, 80/
Saturday
Crystal Palace - Millwall 3-1 (2-1)
/Tanganga 33 og, Munoz 40, Nketiah 81 - Harding 45+13/
Preston - Burnley 3-0 (2-0)
/Brady 31, Osmajic 44, Keane 73/
Bournemouth - Wolverhampton 5-4 on pen (1-1)
/Evanilson 30 - Cunha 60/
Man.City - Plymouth 3-1 (1-1)
/O'Reilly 45+1, 76, De Bruyne 90 - Talovierov 38/
Sunday
Newcastle - Brighton 1-2 a.e.t. (1-1)
/Isak 22 pen - Minteh 44, Welbeck 114/
Man Utd. - Fulham 3-4 on pen (1-1)
/Fernandes 71 - Bassey 45+1/
Monday
22.30: (1.75) Nott.Forest (3.60) Ipswich (4.90)
***odds are subject to change***
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