Rob Mac, Ryan Reynolds Have Explicit Response to Wrexham’s Chelsea Defeat Censored

Despite one foul-mouthed comment, it was a largely positive reaction to Wrexham’s FA Cup exit.

Rob Mac (left) had to have his language censored on Saturday. | YouTube/ESPN FC

Wrexham co-owner Rob Mac underscored his frustrations with the video assistant referee during Saturday’s FA Cup defeat to Chelsea by reiterating the explicit chant delivered by his club’s fans: “F--- VAR.”

The upwardly mobile Welsh outfit pushed Chelsea all the way in a thrilling FA Cup fifth round tie in Wrexham. The hosts twice took the lead against the Blues before a VAR review saw George Dobson’s reckless challenge upgraded from a yellow card to red. The 10 men fell behind in extra time but it still required VAR to spot a marginal offside to deny Wrexham a dramatic equalizer.

João Pedro rubber-stamped Chelsea’s progression to the quarterfinals to make it 4–2, much to the frustration of Mac and his co-owner Ryan Reynolds.

“We’re playing one of the best teams in the world and for them to go out there and make it as competitive as they did was incredible and, you know, VAR ... is up for debate,” the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor lamented to ESPN, pausing for effect while shrugging his shoulders and staring down the camera lens.

At this point interviewer Alex Aljoe jumped in to ask for Mac’s opinion on the technology—which Wrexham do not encounter in Championship action. “Can you bleep something on this?” he asked ominously. “I think the chant was, ‘F--- VAR!’”

“They did say that,” Reynolds agreed. “They’re actually going to call VAR on what you just said.”

A fantastic battle and plenty of positives to take into Tuesday ✊

🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/rsqFa0h4Zh

— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) March 7, 2026

“At the end of the day, the rules are the rules,” Mac accepted, “and I feel like we put on a really great performance, and it was reflected not only on the pitch but in the stadium.”

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson was similarly unconvinced. “I know the rule is that it’s got to be a clear and obvious mistake, and I think the referee has to back his judgement [on the foul],” he moaned. “Of course, when he’s been called over to the screen, he should have been kept on a yellow card.

“Offside is marginal, and we can’t complain if that’s offside, but I really don’t agree with VAR sending the referee to the screen and then him changing his mind. He had a great view of it.”

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Reynolds Spells Out Wrexham’s Premier League Ambitions

Ryan Reynolds took the positives from Wrexham’s FA Cup defeat to Chelsea. | Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/James Gill-Danehouse/Getty Images

Reynolds managed to censor himself while reiterating the club’s ongoing objective to win promotion to the Premier League, a stance which was only emboldened by the club’s spirited FA Cup performance.

The Championship upstarts were playing non-league soccer less than three years ago before investment from Reynolds and Mac inspired the club’s concussive rise. Heading into the FA Cup fifth-round tie with Chelsea in North Wales, Wrexham sat inside the promotion playoff spots of England’s second tier.

The Premier League hopefuls emphatically proved that they can mix it with the division’s elite.

“It feels like a win to me,” Reynolds reflected with a wild glint in his eye at the final whistle. “We’re hosting Chelsea at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham. I mean, if you look back five years, people wouldn’t even say the name ‘Wrexham.’ Cut to today and they can’t stop saying the name ‘Wrexham’ without a grin on their face—I censored myself there—so, you know, it’s a profound shift in everything about this community.”

However, what hasn’t changed are the lofty ambitions of the Hollywood owners.

Back in 2021, before either Reynolds or Mac had attended their first home match as co-owners, Reynolds told Sky Sports: “We’d be lying if the dream wasn’t the Premier League. We want to get back in the Football League and continue our way upwards.” Five years later, Wrexham are potentially 14 games away from achieving that goal.

“It has been the aim since day one [to get into the Premier League], it really has, nothing has really changed about that,” Reynolds reiterated on Saturday night.

“It is just so moving to see how galvanizing it is around here, how these supporters just feel about this football club and how infectious it is and just to see people all over the world adopt Wrexham as sometimes their second team, sometimes their only team, it is a really beautiful thing.”

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Chelsea Give Wrexham the Ultimate Compliment

Chelsea squeezed into the FA Cup quarterfinals. | Peter Powell/AFP/Getty Images

All the goodwill washing around Wrexham’s performance did not exclusively come from Reynolds and Mac. Chelsea goalscorer Alejandro Garnacho described the battling victory as “one of our hardest games of the season so far.”

His manager Liam Rosenior agreed. “That’s every reason why the FA Cup is what it is,” the tactician said. “I thought Wrexham were magnificent. We were pushed all the way by a very good team. We needed elements of luck because Wrexham were that good in their performance.”

Mac would reveal that Chelsea’s staff and players had wished him well after the match. “Maybe it’s the lack of sleep but I am overcome by gratitude. This all feels like a dream. Thank you to the people of Wrexhman [sic] and to Wrexham AFC for letting me be a part of this,” he wrote on X.

“And thank you to Chelsea FC for an incredible match. I saw a bunch of the lads after the game and at the airport and they couldn’t have been lovelier and more supportive. It doesn’t have to be hate and anger. It can be beautiful. Hopefully we’ll see you again soon.”

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