FA Cup Match Officials: Sam Barrott to referee Newcastle United vs Manchester City | OneFootball

The Football Association have confirmed the team of match officials – led by referee Sam Barrott – to oversee the FA Cup fifth round tie between Newcastle United and Manchester City on Saturday 7 March.

Pep Guardiola’s side were struck by a hugely disappointing result in midweek as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium to lose ground in the Premier League title chase with Arsenal.

The draw with the City Ground side leaves Manchester City seven points behind Mikel Arteta’s squad, albeit holding a game in hand and still needing to play the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium in April.

However, given the dropping of two points, the direction of the Premier League crown is now firmly in the hands of the North London club, putting further emphasis on the requirement to stay strong across competitions for the remainder of the season from City’s perspective.

The weekend perhaps brings a much-needed pause from Premier League action, as City face very familiar opposition in Newcastle United in the fifth round of the FA Cup – the fifth meeting between the two sides in all competitions so far this season.

And ahead of the meeting between Newcastle United and Manchester City, the Football Association have now announced the list of match officials to oversee proceedings at St James’ Park!

Who is the referee for Newcastle vs Manchester City?

The Football Association have confirmed that the match referee for Newcastle United against Manchester City will be Sam Barrott – his 30th contest of the ongoing season across all competitions.

So far in his 29 matches this season, Barrott has issued a total of 117 yellow cards, one second yellow card dismissal, one straight red card, and awarding a 11 penalty kicks in the process, too.

Sam Barrott’s record in Manchester City matches

The weekend’s cup encounter will also be Manchester City’s sixth game with Sam Barrott as the on-field match referee, winning three of the previous five such contests, and losing the other two outings.

This season alone, Barrott has overseen two Manchester City matches; a 2-0 home win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-final stage, and a hugely controversial 2-1 away defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League.

In the latter of those matches, City were denied a first-half penalty when Fabian Schär made contact with Phil Foden as he prepared to shoot, with VAR Craig Pawson agreeing with Barrott’s on-field decision – describing the contact as “inevitable” rather than a foul.

Tension peaked when Harvey Barnes scored the winning goal for Newcastle, leading to a lengthy VAR check for a potential offside and an alleged foul on goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the build-up.

Assistant Referees

Accompanying Sam Barrott on the pitch at St James’ Park on Saturday night will be Timothy Wood and Simon Bennett, appointed into the roles of Assistant Referees by the Football Association.

Video Assistant Referees

Watching the contest between Newcastle United and Manchester City from the VAR Hub will be John Brooks in the role of Video Assistant Referee, supported by Gary Beswick in the Assistant Video Assistant Referee position.

Fourth Official

Standing between the two dugouts at St James’ Park will be referee Lewis Smith, positioned into the role of fourth official by the Football Association and tasked with managing the dugouts of Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola.