Manchester, March 3 (IANS) Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expressed his dissatisfaction with the Mitre ball used in the FA Cup, after his side rallied to beat Plymouth Argyle in the fifth round to enter the quarterfinals of the competition.
City hit nine of their 29 shots on target, with a brace from Nico O’Reilly and a 90th-minute Kevin De Bruyne clincher cancelling out Maksym Talovierov’s surprise opener, Plymouth’s only shot in the match,
“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,” Guardiola was quoted as saying by BBC.
“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,” he added.
Nike and Adidas are used in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League respectively, while Mitre are responsible for the FA Cup ball and the Carabao Cup.
Reacting to Guardiola’s comments, Football Association spokesperson said, “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 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.”
City have been drawn away to Bournemouth in the last eight of the FA Cup. Their record against the south-coast club is 22 games played, 19 wins, two draws and one loss.
–IANS
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