Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
YAYA GOES GAGA OVER REFEREES
Toure: City would have been better off WITHOUT match official at Wembley
YAYA TOURE has launched an astonishing attack on referees – and admitted it could land him in hot water with the FA.
Toure was furious with referee Craig Pawson after Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal, and claimed they would be better off playing without a referee in future. The City midfielder even admits his rant could land him in hot water but claims refs “do not care” and it is “too easy” for them to make mistakes. What looked like a perfectly good first-half goal for Sergio Aguero was disallowed by Pawson (right) as Leroy Sane’s cross was ruled to have drifted out of play. Toure said: “Maybe on Thursday (in the Manchester derby) we are going to have a better referee or maybe play without one – I’d prefer that. “I don’t know how to explain myself and, if I say something wrong, the FA is going to make charges (against me), you know. You have to be careful what you say. “It’s always painful, costly, when you lose games like this. When you lose the fair way, the games we have been losing like Monaco, it was deserved. This was quite strange, very sad. It’s going to be difficult for me to forget this game because I’m very, very angry. “Football is like that, you win, you lose. But sometimes it’s difficult when you think how unfair it was. You have to try to forget it, accept it, but it’s hard. “When the referee makes mistakes you respect them, they work hard and it’s not easy for them sometimes. “But next season they are going to put in cameras (technology) and they have to. (We need) a couple of spots where they put the video to tell the referees if it’s a penalty or a goal. “It’s better like that. When you score a goal and the referee says no, or a penalty, then how can you forget that? What can we do? “Did you think Pep Guardiola accepted to lose the game? If the referee decides against us, what are we to do? I think the referee has to come now and give their point of view as well. It’s too easy for them. “But if you say anything about them it’s going to be highlighted and the FA are going to come and fine me. At the end of the day they (referees) don’t care.” Toure has warned that City’s season could end up in disaster if they lose on Thursday. United are just a point behind and Toure says they must put their disappointment in the past as missing out on the Champions League would be unthinkable. The 33-year-old Ivorian added: “Thursday is a few days away and we have to recover and be ready. If we win, we will forget this game but, if we lose, then it will be more difficult. “We need to be in the Champions League. City have qualified for the Champions League for six years now and Thursday is very important. It’s a special game. “Thursday we have a game, next Sunday we have a game – we always have games coming. “So I think my future is always about these league games, and we have to see what happens after.”