New Delhi: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has criticised the balls being used in England’s domestic cup competitions. His comments echo those of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who was mocked earlier this season for expressing his displeasure with the ball used in the Carabao Cup after losing to Newcastle in the semi-finals.
On Saturday, when City won the FA Cup 3-1 over Championship side Plymouth despite having 20 efforts off target, Guardiola expressed disappointment with the Mitre balls used in the FA Cup.
He said, “The ball in the Champions League is exceptional, the ball in the Premier League is exceptional, this one isn’t. It is difficult to control.” He further added that when you lose it it sounds like you are complaining, but the ball is not right. In many years it has happened in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, I know it’s a business and they come to agreements.
He concluded saying, “You know how many shots went over? Look at other games. Normally the ball goes inside from these shots.” Nike balls are used in the Premier League while Adidas balls are utilised in Uefa’s European events, and Puma balls in the EFL Cup.
🚨⚽️ Pep Guardiola: “The FA Cup ball is NOT proper!”.
“Champions League and Premier League ball is exceptional but this one is not good”. pic.twitter.com/QYrXvr69Ew
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 3, 2025
In reaction to Guardiola’s statements, a Football Association representative stated: “Mitre’s Ultimax Pro ball – used in the Emirates FA Cup and all other FA competitions has been tested in accordance with FIFA testing. All footballs in the professional game must receive Fifa Quality Pro accreditation, and this ball passes all of the testing requirements.”
He added, “We appreciate, like Mitre, that preference is subjective, but we are certain that the ball performs effectively. With nearly 350 goals scored in the knockout competition thus far, it adds an exciting dimension to such a difficult tournament.”
In Saturday’s FA Cup encounter, City managed to score three goals from 29 shots out of which only nine were on target. Guardiola’s team had 11 shots in their 4-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle United on February 15 with just seven on target.
Clubs are provided the appropriate balls to train with before the cup matches. Several Premier League teams notably Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Bournemouth, Wolves, and Newcastle United had a better percentage of shots on target than in prior league games.
Mikel Arteta on EFL Cup ball
In February, Arsenal manager Arteta, who was earlier Guardiola’s assistant manager at City for three years, attacked the Puma ball used in the EFL Cup when the Gunners lost 2-0 against Newcastle in the semi-final first leg despite having 23 shots, just three of them were on target.
Arteta said, “We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot.”
Regarding which, the EFL said that the balls met the highest requirements set by the world governing body FIFA and had been successfully used in other major European leagues, including Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s Liga.
Pep Guardiola slammed the Mitre ball used in the FA Cup after Man City’s 3-1 win over Plymouth, echoing Mikel Arteta’s past criticism of EFL Cup balls. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
