Arsenal Stands Firm on Arteta’s VAR Criticism
OnlineBetNow — In a recent turn of events, Arsenal Football Club has expressed its full support for manager Mikel Arteta’s criticism of the officiating in their recent Premier League defeat to Newcastle United. Arteta described the decision-making as “unacceptable” and called for the referees body, PGMOL, to address the standards of refereeing.
The Controversial Match
The controversy arose during the match between Arsenal and Newcastle United on Saturday, where Anthony Gordon’s 64th-minute winner for Newcastle was allowed to stand despite a triple VAR check. The goal was reviewed for a possible offside, foul, and to determine whether Joe Willock ran the ball out of play earlier in the move.
Arteta, in his post-match press conference, labeled the decision to award the goal as an “absolute disgrace” and said he felt “sick” and “embarrassed”. This has sparked a debate about the effectiveness and accuracy of VAR in the Premier League.
Arsenal’s Stance
In response to the controversy, Arsenal released a statement doubling down on Arteta’s criticism. The club stated, “Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening”.
The club also urged the PGMOL to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves everyone on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations, and apologies. They emphasized that the Premier League, often referred to as the best competition in the game, should uphold “world-class” refereeing standards.
The Aftermath
The incident has drawn attention from various quarters. Gary Neville described Arsenal’s decision to issue a statement supporting Arteta’s criticism over refereeing as ‘dangerous’ and called on the Premier League to do more to ‘protect referees’.
This incident has once again brought the effectiveness and reliability of VAR into question. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how the Premier League and PGMOL will respond to the criticism and what steps will be taken to improve the standard of officiating in future matches.
