Who is the referee and VAR for EFL Cup final? Past controversies, records against Arsenal and Man City

Arsenal and Manchester City will put their Premier League title battle to one side when they lock horns at Wembley Stadium for the 2026 EFL Cup final on Sunday afternoon.

The Gunners, sitting nine points clear at the Premier League summit, have beaten Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and Chelsea to reach the showpiece event.

As for the Citizens, they have navigated their way past Huddersfield Town, Swansea City, Brentford and holders Newcastle United to book their 10th final appearance in the competition.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the referee and VAR appointments for Sunday's EFL Cup final.

Arsenal vs. Man City: Peter Bankes to referee EFL Cup final

The EFL have confirmed that referee Peter Bankes will be the man in the middle for Sunday’s showdown between Arsenal and Man City, and this will be his first major cup final.

Born in Lancashire, Bankes has been a FIFA-listed official since 2021 and has overseen 86 Premier League games in his career, including 21 this season – only Anthony Taylor (23) and Michael Oliver (22) have officiated more.

Bankes has not been shy to dish out the cards this term, as he has given out 86 yellow cards and a division-high four red cards so far this term. He has also awarded five penalty kicks in the top flight.

Accompanying Bankes under the Wembley arch will be assistant referees Neil Davies and Steve Meredith, while Tom Bramall will be the fourth official on Sunday.

Peter Bankes's record and past controversies in Arsenal games

Bankes is preparing to take charge of his 15th Arsenal game, and Gunners supporters will be pleased to learn that Mikel Arteta’s side have won 10, drawn one and lost three of the previous 14 matches he has officiated.

His most recent Arsenal game was the 4-1 away victory over North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on February 22, after overseeding the Gunners’ 1-0 home win over Chelsea in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.

Bankes was also in the middle when Arsenal thrashed Manchester City 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League in February 2025, giving out just two yellow cards (both to Arsenal players).

In total, Bankes has waved 13 yellow cards to Arsenal players, while no Gunner has been sent off by the 43-year-old.

One of Bankes's most controversial Arsenal fixtures was the 1-1 draw against Brentford in February 2023. The match became infamous for a 'significant human error' by VAR official Lee Mason, who neglected to draw the offside lines that would have disallowed the Bees' equaliser.

However, one decision that arguably went in Arsenal’s favour was in the aforementioned North London derby earlier this year, when Randal Kolo Muani has an equalising goal for Spurs disallowed after he was adjudged to have pushed Gabriel Magalhaes in the back before striking at goal.

Peter Bankes's record and past controversies in Man City games

Bankes is gearing up for his 13th Man City match as a referee, and in is previous 12, the Citizens have won six, drawn one and lost five across all competitions.

His most recent Man City game was the 1-0 win at Leeds United in the Premier League on February 28, having previously taken charge of the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium on November 29 – a 3-2 victory for Pep Guardiola’s side.

In total, Bankes has given out 14 yellow cards to Man City players, but he is yet to send off a Sky Blue star.

Bankes has rarely been involved in controversial moments during Man City games, though he was met with frustration from the Citizens camp following the aforementioned 5-1 loss to Arsenal, with a challenge on Erling Haaland inside the penalty area waved away and a handball shout dismissed by VAR.

In the same game, Bankes inadvertently block Phil Foden's view of then-Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, which contributed to Foden’s poor pass directly to Partey, who scored to make it 2-1.

John Brooks appointed VAR for Arsenal vs. Man City EFL Cup final

While Bankes will be in charge on the pitch, John Brooks has been appointed Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and will be supported by Assistant Referee Dan Robathan.

Brooks has been a VAR official for nine Premier League games this season, two of which involved Arsenal, who beat West Ham 2-0 in October last year and most recently Chelsea (2-1) in March – Pedro Neto was sent off for two bookable offences in that match.

In addition, Brooks was the VAR official for Man City’s 2-1 triumph at Liverpool last month and was the man responsible for the ‘killjoy’ VAR call that prevented City from scoring a third late on in a bizarre incident that resulted in Dominik Szoboszlai seeing red for a pull on Haaland before the ball tricked into the back of the net.