Referee Farai Hallam Dropped From Premier League After Upsetting Pep Guardiola on Debut

Referee Farai Hallam impressed a lot of people — albeit not Pep Guardiola — on his Premier League debut, but he has since been dropped.

The 32-year-old took charge of his first top-flight match during Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday.

During the game, Hallam became the first Premier League referee this season to stick with his original decision after being sent to the VAR monitor for an on-field review.

Hallam was asked to reconsider a potential handball by Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera during the first half, with VAR Darren England recommending a review for a possible penalty.

However, after watching the replay, the debutant opted not to award a penalty and instead backed his initial call.

Announcing his decision to the stadium, Hallam said: “After review, the ball hits the arm of the Wolves player, which is in a natural position, so the on-field decision will remain.”

The call earned widespread praise from fans and multiple pundits for showing confidence and independence from VAR, but it did not go down well with Man City manager Guardiola, who confronted the referee at full-time and later criticised the decision in his post-match media duties.

What Pep Guardiola said about Farai Hallam

Guardiola was visibly frustrated by the decision and made several pointed remarks about Hallam’s performance after the final whistle.

“The player’s arm is out from his body. The ref made a huge debut… so now everyone will know him, but it’s OK,” Guardiola said.

“It’s the first time they go to a TV and disallowed what is a ‘normal’ position of the arms.”

The City boss also sarcastically claimed that he expected a phone call from referees’ chief Howard Webb “to explain why it wasn’t a penalty.”

Guardiola’s comments followed criticism he had already directed at officials the previous week, when he claimed Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot should have been sent off during the Manchester derby — an incident he said contributed to Jeremy Doku missing City’s midweek Champions League defeat by Bodo/Glimt.

“That is why Jeremy could not play in Norway. But it’s OK. I’m waiting tomorrow,” Guardiola said.

Referee Farai Hallam not selected for a Premier League fixture next weekend

Despite making history as the first Premier League referee this season to reject a VAR recommendation following an on-field review, Hallam has not been appointed to officiate a top-flight fixture in the next round of matches.

He is absent from the referee list for matchweek 24, which runs from January 31 to February 2.

Man City’s trip to Tottenham on Sunday will be refereed by Rob Jones. That will come little more than 24 hours after Arsenal — dealing with title race nerves following a 3-2 home loss to Man United — face Leeds in game officiated by Stuart Attwell.

Arsenal produced their worst defensive performance in 122 games in their defeat by the Red Devils, but will still begin matchweek 24 a clear four points above Man City.

While officials are sometimes rested after controversial decisions, it is more common for such breaks to follow what the PGMOL deem to be clear errors or major miscommunications.

Whether Hallam’s omission is purely rotational or a deliberate move to reduce pressure after a high-profile debut remains unclear.

Premier League referee appointments for January 31 to February 2

Brighton vs Everton
Referee	Chris Kavanagh
Assistants	Dan Cook, Wade Smith
Fourth official	Tim Robinson
VAR	Neil Davies
Assistant VAR	Tim Wood
Leeds vs Arsenal
Referee	Stuart Attwell
Assistants	Constantine Hatzidakis, Craig Taylor
Fourth official	Gavin Ward
VAR	Jarred Gillett
Assistant VAR	Steve Meredith
Wolves vs Bournemouth
Referee	Michael Oliver
Assistants	Stuart Burt, James Mainwaring
Fourth official	James Bell
VAR	Peter Bankes
Assistant VAR	Marc Perry
Chelsea vs West Ham
Referee	Anthony Taylor
Assistants	Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
Fourth official	Rob Jones
VAR	Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR	Sian Massey-Ellis
Liverpool vs Newcastle
Referee	Simon Hooper
Assistants	Adrian Holmes, Simon Long
Fourth official	Sam Barrott
VAR	Craig Pawson
Assistant VAR	Lee Betts
Aston Villa vs Brentford
Referee	Tim Robinson
Assistants	Ian Hussin, Tim Wood
Fourth official	Tom Kirk
VAR	Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR	Gary Beswick
Man United vs Fulham
Referee	John Brooks
Assistants	Simon Bennett, Mat Wilkes
Fourth official	Darren England
VAR	James Bell
Assistant VAR	Eddie Smart
Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace
Referee	Michael Salisbury
Assistants	Marc Perry, Alistair Nelson
Fourth official	James Linnington
VAR	Tony Harrington
Assistant VAR	Dan Robathan
Tottenham vs Man City
Referee	Rob Jones
Assistants	Neil Davies, Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth official	Andy Madley
VAR	Jarred Gillett
Assistant VAR	Blake Antrobus
Sunderland vs Burnley
Referee	Paul Tierney
Assistants	Richard West, Mark Scholes
Fourth official	Tony Harrington
VAR	Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR	Nick Hopton

Former Premier League referee slams Pep Guardiola over his treatment of Farai Hallam

Former Premier League referee Graham Scott has strongly criticised Guardiola’s behaviour towards Hallam.

Scott, who officiated in the Premier League between 2015 and 2025, said in his column for The Telegraph that Guardiola’s decision to confront the referee after the match made him “look a small man”, particularly given City had won the game comfortably.

“Hallam had the audacity to decline the advice of VAR Darren England and stick with his on-field decision,” Scott wrote. “Guardiola’s decision to berate him on the pitch at the final whistle made a great manager look a small man.”

Scott added that while he personally would have preferred Hallam to award the penalty, the debutant referee showed strong personal qualities by trusting his judgement under pressure.

“It is too early to be sure whether Hallam will scale the heights as a referee, but he certainly has the personal qualities to survive the refereeing jungle,” Scott said.