The Man City defender questions the rules after a disputed push on the goalkeeper led to Newcastle’s winning goal, asking, “What are we allowing?”
Manchester City defender Rúben Dias has issued a direct challenge to football’s refereeing body, demanding clearer rules after a controversial goal sealed his team’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.
The match was decided by a frantic second-half sequence, with Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes scoring twice around a Rúben Dias equalizer. However, it was Barnes’ second, winning goal that ignited fury from the reigning champions. The strike survived a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, which checked for a possible offside and a clear push on City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the build-up.
While the offside was cleared, the shove on Donnarumma was deemed acceptable, a decision that left City boss Pep Guardiola so incensed he confronted both Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães and the referee at the final whistle.
It was Dias, however, who articulated the team’s frustration in an impassioned post-match interview. He questioned how such contact could be permitted, pointing to a lack of consistency from officials.
“I feel like we need to make it make sense,” Dias told Sky Sports. “What is the sense in their player pushing our keeper outside of the goal? What are we allowing, and for how long?… Where’s the rule? What can you actually do?”
The defender explained that while he didn’t realize the foul in real time, seeing the replay confirmed his initial feeling that “something was wrong.”
“We’re so picky with certain contacts, but one like this with the keeper, you allow it,” he continued. “If this is the rule, fine – let us do the same.”
Despite his strong feelings on the incident, Dias was quick to credit Newcastle for their performance, acknowledging they were the better team on the night. Yet, he stood firm on his central point, concluding, “Today Newcastle were better and they deserved the win… So in the end, all I’m saying is there needs to be a rule.”
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