Story byMatch Officials: Farai Hallam to referee Manchester City vs WolvesCity XtraWed, January 21, 2026 at 8:45 PM UTC·3 min readThe Premier League have confirmed the list of match officials to oversee Manchester City’s top-flight clash with Wolves on Saturday afternoon. Pep Guardiola is in urgent need of an up-turn in results, but certainly performance levels after a succession of hugely disappointing defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Bodo/Glimt in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League respectively. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA 2-0 derby day defeat at Old Trafford could have ended up a lot worse in truth, with a number of goals ruled out for offside, whilst the outcome in Northern Norway should have been the same with City saved by the assistant referee’s flag multiple times. Manchester City’s season is at serious risk of collapsing within the next few weeks, as the weekend marks a further opportunity for Arsenal to maintain a seven-point advantage, and next week’s Champions League league phase final matchday deciding the club’s fate. Everyone concerned at the Etihad Stadium will be desperate to avoid a last-16 play-off double-header in Europe’s premier club competition, which resulted in an early exit at the hands of Real Madrid during the last season. And now, ahead of the meeting between Manchester City and Wolves, the Premier League have announced the list of match officials to oversee proceedings at the Etihad Stadium!AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMatch RefereeOverseeing and managing proceedings from the role of on-field match referee at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon will be referee Farai Hallam, the Premier League have confirmed this week. This weekend will mark a momentous occasion for the 32-year-old as he takes charge of his first-ever match in the English top-flight, in what will be his 17th match across all competitions so far this season. In his 16 contests to date – which have spanned across the Championship, League Two, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup – Hallam has issued a total of 56 yellow cards, and is yet to award a single penalty or issue a direct red card and second yellow card dismissal. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGiven his lack of Premier League action to date, this will also be the very first time that Manchester City have been officiated by Farai Hallam – both at first-team level or at youth academy level. Hallam has taken charge of a Premier League club this season, however, as he managed proceedings between Liverpool and Barnsley in the FA Cup third round and a 4-1 home win for Arne Slot’s side at Anfield this month. Assistant RefereesStanding alongside Farai Hallam on his Premier League debut at the Etihad Stadium this weekend will be an assistant referee pairing of Dan Cook and Ian Hussin, the top-flight have confirmed. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVideo Assistant RefereesOverseeing the contest from Stockley Park and the VAR Hub will be Video Assistant Referee Darren England, sitting alongside fellow Premier League referee and the appointed Assistant Video Assistant Referee Samuel Barrott. Fourth OfficialStanding between the two dugouts at the Etihad Stadium and ensuring all is kept in order between Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Wolves’ Rob Edwards will be Tim Robinson in the role of fourth official.
