Mikel Arteta says talks with “officials” will “happen soon” as he goes in search of explanations for some of the decisions that have gone against Arsenal during matches this season.
The Spaniard made the comments after watching Gabriel Martinelli earn two yellow cards for two fouls made in the same action during tonight’s clash between Arsenal and Wolves.
Having taken umbrage with the officiating in his side’s first Premier League game of the year – the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on New Year’s Day – Arteta outlined his intentions to get answers as soon as possible.
“You ask me if I’m happy with the decisions that we have had this season, I’m not, at all,” he said after the Gunners’ 1-0 win. “But that’s a conversation I’ll have with the officials, privately.
“We need explanations, we need explanations for things that happened with VAR and explanations for today.”
Asked if the conversations had already taken place, he added: “No, but they are going to happen soon.”
Reflecting on tonight’s red card and the fact his players continue to get dismissed at an alarming rate, Arteta went on: “To be fair, it’s the first time I’ve seen a red card in 18 years since I’ve been in this league.
“I think you have to be pretty willing to give a red card in that situation. Still. it’s what happened and we know that playing with 10 men in this league, you’re not going to get points, enough points that we need, and we have to stop it.
“To be fair, it’s difficult to find more arguments and more ways to transmit that to the players. And everybody’s said that this is the most disciplined group that they have seen in the last 10-15 years but still they are getting red cards for other things.”
Fair play to him.
He’ll probably get a charge and a touch line ban from the Premier League for his troubles. But at least he’s calling these cunts out. I know I would. It’s been open season against us for too long.
4 red cards and 2 goals this year…
That’s so many, ridiculous. None have been particularly dangerous either – you’d think we were out to break everyone’s legs with a record like that. Meanwhile other teams routinely try and swipe the legs off of our players without consequence.
Been going on for over a decade. ”They dont like it up em” has given teams license to smash our players without consequence or even accusation or your weak and soft. Eduardo, Diaby , Wilshere, even Ramsey all had careers ended/shortened.
Absolutely. And that narrative works both ways. Arsenal are a soft, southern, “foreign”, fancy dan team so it’s okay for the likes of Burnley, Stoke (they’re tough, northern “Englishmen”, that’s just how they play) and others to smash us, even ManUtd (e.g. the Neville’s kicking and hacking down Reyes back in the day – that’s how long this has been happening). Conversely, because we are perceived as soft and fancy, when we make fouls or hard tackles we are immediately punished because “that’s not how Arsenal play”. We’re not allowed to do that! Xhaka, in particular, but also players like… Read more »
Wish I could like this x100 over.
Ferguson oversaw that policy.
He was powerful ……….
If you can do it and win multiple titles and be Knighted……tells me everything.
Meanwhile down at the Emirates, if there’s so much of a smell of a fart………it’s Red
Excellent comment.
Nailed it. I’m super happy with the win but I can’t shift this lingering resentment towards what was another absurd red card that really could have cost us. It’s every week now and it stinks. We have one of the lowest foul counts yet somehow the highest total or reds, of which the majority of them have been highly ‘controversial’. They will do everything they can to stop us from achieving our goal this season and it needs to be called out now. It’s not luck, it’s not inconsistency…it’s cheating. There is no longer any valid argument which supports anything… Read more »
It’s like the refs have a side quest for most creative way to send arsenal players off.
Seriously WTF was that? Gotta give these refs credit for coming up with new ways to BS and cheat. Never seen that before and never will again.
It’s dodgy. End of.
I’m so glad Arteta is making a news story out of this. Ref’s absolutely need a spotlight on them when they ref our games. We’ve had a history of this and it needs to stop. If they go the other way for a while, that’ll be fine too.
I hope he also asks about 4 blatant red cards that were overlooked against us, some of which were insanely dangerous. Dangerous play should be a top priority for refs. And when those challenges aren’t punished but silly niggley fouls are, you know something is very wrong.
Unfortunately the media hate us and won’t make a story out of it. Its mad that we seem to get the raw end of the deal from refs, then pretty much every ground we go to we get ‘same old arsenal, always cheating’ sung at us. When 9 times out of 10 we are the ones being cheated! Are we always cheating and i dont see it because its my club? Good win last night anyway even with 10 men, gabi was a bit silly trying to foul the thrower but luckily it didn’t cost us. Holding was also a… Read more »
Totally agree.
I’ve been smelling a rat for some time now. If what we have here is a case of match fixing it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
If I was Arteta, I would be wanting answers now too. If it continues, I would want some form of investigation to take place – to involve whatever authority body or organisation are relevant even the Police if needs be.
Something is going down and it stinks to high heaven.
For the good of the game Arsenal need to get to the bottom of it.
I hope he talks to the UK government body for corruption too. There is a consistent inconsistent decisions against us this season. Just too coincidental.
I’m really happy with the result but that sending off still bothering me. So did some reasearch reading “the Law of the Game” by IFAB. According to the Law 15 (copied here verbatim): “An opponent who unfairly distracts or impedes the thrower (including moving closer than 2 m (2 yds) to the place where the throw-in is to be taken) is cautioned for unsporting behaviour, and if the throw-in has been taken, an indirect free kick is awarded.” So Mike Oliver should have cautioned Martinelli if the wolves player was not able to take a proper throw-in. Since the throw-in… Read more »
Excellent analysis
I don’t think that’s the correct analysis. The second part…”however…” is not about giving players a free pass for their foul if advantage is being played. We know players can get a yellow after an advantage, it happens all the time. It happened when someone fouled Odegaard in this game. It doesn’t have to be “denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity” The second part is an additional “caution”. Player commits the foul – for example pushing someone over, a yellow card. Did that stop a clear goal scoring opportunity? If yes, then there is an additional, separate caution of unsporting behaviour… Read more »
The ball was not in play when the first infraction occurred.
No advantage can be assumed during a dead ball. So a FK awarded and one YC booked.
No different than a player impeding a FK by standing too close to the ball. When that occurs– it’s a warning or a YC and play is stopped.
There were two idiots in that sequence. One a 20-year-old player who was severely punished. The other a seasoned referee who sees no reprimand whatsoever.
Good. We’ve had so many dubious decisions against us this season… yet we’re still 5th! Keep going lads.
The red cards we have been punished by this season (and the last few seasons) have been a complete and utter joke. When you consider Tommy had his face stamped on away at Everton, which went to VAR and nothing was given, it does really make you start to question the authenticity of the decisions.
Iamagoober, did you go back and read my comment yet mate?
Remember, in the thread where I replied to your own comment about the January transfer window, and you said you were looking forward to re-reading it after we lost against what you called “smartly-run clubs” like Wolves and Villa?
Just thought I’d remind you for the bantz
Kaius, Irrespective of the result last night, it doesn’t change the fact that both Wolves and Villa are smartly run clubs. Look at the appointment and subsequent impact that Lage has had on them? Look at some of the acquisitions Villa have brought in. Like if a narrow 1 nil away win at the Molineux doesn’t make you realise the gap between us and those clubs isn’t paper thin, then I don’t know what to say really. That’s also only our second win against them since 2018. And we’ve only beaten Villa once in the last 4 meetings… So yeah..… Read more »
Not to mention that outrageous kick on Saka. We never get any benefit of the doubt, any luck, we just get the red card. Yet other teams get away with shit and more so against us. You would think with VAR then the league would be more fair, but the fucking referees want their power. If by talk to the refs, Arteta means he will be cursing them out, then have at it. Otherwise, tell ’em to fuck off like the fucking incompetent cheats they are, and take whatever ban they give. Long as they hear it, the cunts.
Yeah that has to be the biggest joke of the lot, disgraceful!!!
Arteta is gonna have that magic phone call, we’re signing a reff.. Yaayy
Not that magic. All their numbers start with 0161.
He’ll probably give himself a red!
Arsenal will find it easier to sign a real Nigerian Prince than a ref!
We already have one at RW
Our January signing is a decent ref? Lol would love that!!!
I reckon that is the first time in history a player has been shown THREE cards in the same action, it’s probably happened in a fight before (yellow, then after another offence yellow and red) but not literally yellow, yellow, red.
Very very harsh for a player who didn’t do much else wrong.
Oliver seemed pissed off at our time wasting so was looking for an excuse to send one of our lot off. Gabi was silly for the first foul, especially as he raced back & caught up with Budget Traore anyway but if the refs stops the quick throw & books him on the spot then he doesn’t make the 2nd foul, it’s just a complete clusterfuck of an incident
I think it happened to a player for Northern Ireland a few years back in some international too. I may be mistaken on who but it has happened before. Obviously there was uproar and the ref was called into question. You can be sure that wont happen here because we are Arsenal.
Its more fun to win when they hate us anyway.
I’d be more worried about the inconsistency in the City game with VAR than what happened tonight. However, with Arsenal being one of the teams with a low foul count, the reds just don’t add up and we have a case against the officials,
Does anyone know of similar red cards in other games like the one we got today? In any country, any league? I have a feeling we could overturn this one.
Two yellows can’t be appealed
Chris Baird got 2 yellows for northern Ireland a lot of years back in the same passage of play. If I remember correctly there was a lot of talk about it because the 1st should have been a warning.
there’s no reason such a red can’t be given. It’s obviously rare but technically there’s nothing wrong with it. I just think the first foul was pretty marginal/soft but you can see it being given. The question is, would Martinelli have made the second foul if he was on a yellow and knew it? Just think it’s unlucky really.
I can’t believe luck has anything to do with it. The referee has to have a motivation to do something just so utterly and unbelievably consequential and obviously controversial.
Prem/ FA refereeing is wildly inconsistent. VAR is wildly inconsistent. Somehow we more frequently end up on the shit end of the stick. That’s an assumption on my part but I’d put money on it this season.
Inconsistent is a polite term I reserve for respectable company.
Agree with this totally. It’s so unusual that Martinelli would be right to feel aggrieved, it’s not like he had actually been warned before the 2nd action. But it was within the laws of the game even if it’s a rule that’s rarely applied. I’m not somebody who believes this tin-hat anti-Arsenal conspiracy stuff and you will never ever achieve 100% consistency in what are human judgements. Ultimately don’t keep committing silly bookable offences and we’ll cut out the silly red cards. And if it is the case that refs are biased against us then maybe don’t make it easy… Read more »
B.t. sport said it happen ed once in serie a. Last month
The referee agenda against us is getting ridiculous at this point. Get rid of the entire PGMOL.
The fact that they are answerable to no one is unacceptable. One of the most corrupt bunch!
I think the FA will pull him up for the like “You have to be pretty willing to give a red card like that” – I think he’s class.
They’ll get him for it because he’s not wrong.
Pretty sure he’ll be asked by Mike Riley’s shabby little cartel to ‘explain his comments’, after which (having not listened to a word he says) he will be fined and/or banned and/or hung, drawn, quartered and fed to sharks.
If Arsenal walked off the pitch after the next dumbass decision we’d getting criticised but I think it’d make the gits think twice about their agenda,, especially if lots of examples were given and we have loads of those – if it was a court of law we’d get compensation and the perpetrators banged up!!!
There is absolutely no accountability with the referees in the EPL. This is the problem. They are untouchable. He will only make matters worse by complaining to them. The best thing to do would be for our players to stop putting referees in a position where they even get an opportunity to send our players off. Although fucking soft as shit, both those offences *could* be a yellow, and you know they are going to go against us because we are Arsenal, and they always go against us. He is young and full of motivation and energy, passion, which is… Read more »
I’m not sure, I think if the bias/corruption is pointed out enough times by enough people, the referees are forced to change.
Case in point is the number of penalties United had in the last full 3 seasons compared to this one.
That is a man defending his player.
You know how some were saying Aubameyang was a bad influence on his teammates? You know, ’cause he’d come late?
I wonder if there isn’t another player who might be an actual bad influence.
Hope the officials dont cost us. Dont need the team distracted from the fact that we should be making a real push for third let alone scrapping for 4th. Spuds and Man u are shit and not better then we are. West ham are decent but have a limited squad like we do I think Arteta pulling off third with the major problems he has faced at the club on and off field (some of his own making) being a first time manager, this would rank right up there with a trophy for managerial achievement.
We ain’t getting third lol. We are too inconsistent for that and our play needs to improve more! 4th is definitely on though
Can a formal complaint be made as well pointing out irregularities in these decisions against us?
Forget it. They will never rescind.
Noticed he sent Laca to do some dirty work on his behalf and state the case with the Ref at end of match.
But surely just move on. We have Smith-Rowe for Brentford and Martinelli can come back in all fresh legs for Wolves again.
Absolutely not. Otherwise this shit will happen in the next game, and the next one, and it will always be someone else. It needs to be exposed and shouted about now before it becomes an acceptable norm…because it’s bent.
I’ve been saying this for ages, there’s an agenda that starts with Mike Riley, a Manchester United supporting anti Arsenal twat who has somehow managed to get himself in charge of the secret society that is PGMOL. I’m convinced it’s bent and we need to keep tallies of these dodgy decisions and keep shouting about them. Wenger knew it was bent and it hasn’t stopped now that he and Ferguson have retired. With all the gambling money sloshing around it’d be the easiest thing to be match fixing within a secret society renowned for incompetence and answerable to nobody, weird… Read more »
As I recall, I believe it has been card happy Oliver for 3 of our last4 reds at least. Certainly 2 for Xhaka and this one, not sure if it was him as well sending off Partey or who sent Gabriel off.
Mourinho use to train his chelsea team to play a man down. Perhaps this is by design by Michael Oliver to make us stronger in the long run and carve out results instead of cave.
It seems to me that referees want to be the centre of attention.
He should have stopped play and issued the first yellow card – that way Martinelli would have known he was on a caution and acted more sensibly.
It does not make any justification for yet another red card – the fourth in six weeks is simply unacceptable. There is no discipline at the club it appears…
100% should’ve stopped the quick throw & booked him but Gabi was stupid for raising his hands to a player, especially when he caught up after the throw anyway but if he hadn’t done Gabi, he’d have nailed somebody else cause he was looking for an excuse to show us a red from the moment we started time wasting. 5 reds all season & 4 of those have been in the past month!
According to the Laws of the Game, the first offence isn’t a yellow:
“Advantage
If the referee plays the advantage for an offence for which a caution/sending-off would have been issued had play been stopped, this caution/sending-off must be issued when the ball is next out of play. However, if the offence was denying the opposing team an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, the player is cautioned for unsporting behaviour; IF THE OFFENCE WAS INTERFERING WITH OR STOPPING A PROMOSING ATTACK, THE PLAYER IS NOT CAUTIONED .”
Our current team has a nasty edge and doesn’t mind showing it. I am not complaining, in fact I wish we started showing it long ago. However, we still need to learn to contain ourselves a bit emotionally and stop developing a negative reputation with card happy refs.
What really pisses me off is the time wasting. Teams do it against us relentlessly and the refs do nothing. As soon as we do it, bang, yellow card. Not even a warning. Its a joke.
Exactly! Maybe it was Burnley time wasting started in the first half of the game, went unpunished not a single yellow all game.
Good luck to him with that. While I doubt any conspiracies these referees are a law unto themselves seemingly with no accountability and transparency. Fine coming his way or even worse, more questionable decisions.
It’s about time Arsenal as a football club had discussion with the FA about these questionable officiating.
It’s getting really embarrassing even to FA themselves.
Last night game was a perfect case and I hope the club will do something about.
Club’s like Burnley, westham united even Liverpool gets away with minimal cautious with their robust/rugby styles of football when opponent are in possession.
However, our players must stop playing into the hands of these corrupt/biased referees.
It’s the precedent that it sets that will cause the prem headaches.
What annoys me is that teams like City operating rotational fouling and Saka is routinely targeted by teams. Arsenal are not really putting it about at all and picking up reds for fun.
Luiz against Wolves last year was farcical and we may as well get smart and turn a bit nastier if the punishment is coming anyway. At least I got some enjoyment out of the comedy factor with Xhaka against Jota!
This is the main thing for me. I think a lot of the more contraversial decisions against us could have happened to any team and not all of them were unfair. The worst years of referee bias against us was in the Wenger years and Sakas treatment is reminiscent of it.
I back Arteta to lead the team to CL spot.
I am really trying to take Martinelli’s side in this, but I cannot find any justification for it. Gabi pushes the Wolves player out of frustration while he is taking a throw-in. Immediately Oliver gives the advantage. If you have two brain cells, you know that is a yellow card offence. Gabi then goes on to pull down a Wolves player (again out of frustration) without being ANYWHERE near the ball. That is another clear second yellow offence.
Easy to say from the armchair. A young man playing in a heated game in front of thousands of fans, in a heated atmosphere, might just lose his head. It happens all the time in games. He’s human. Neither offence is nasty or dangerous. Booking and a strict verbal warning is all that was required. The referee blew it, not the player.
You are perfectly right Malcolm, but most of the conspiracy theorist gunners on this thread would prefer to think the refs are against us.
It was clearly 2 yellow card offences. Therefore a red card. End of.
I’m not saying that Oliver isn’t a melt but in this case he was correct in his decision.
Not about the refs being against us, It’s about them being rubbish. Are those offences in quick succession, with no opportunity/warning given to the player to take an breath and calm down, worth ruining the game and disadvantaging Arsenal for the remainder of the game, and the next one? No it isn’t.
They are. When you see lots and lots of smoke (in fact so much fucking smoke your lying on the floor choking on it) you aren’t being unreasonable to think they might be a fire.
I thought Peter Waltons analysis captured perfectly the pgmol view of Arsenal. “Petulant children who need to be sent to the naughty step until they learn”. No Peter, not petulance, just someone bred to win at a young age, acting out in the heat of the moment because, you know, he’s human. Refereeing means managing players for the good of the game as well you massive dick.
Is that an actual quote? Can you imagine if a player said something even slightly similar about referees? 😂😭
I’d honestly call up the lawyers to leaf through official documents at the Refeering Association and the FA before I demand and force an explanation for these decisions.
Make the lawyers present. Force a conversation. Then make it public.
Live stream it and have Judge Rinder oversee proceedings?
A yellow card is a caution, so I don’t see the logic in issuing two at the same time. Martinelli made the second challenge while subject to a yellow card he didn’t know he had been issued. The referee has basically given a straight red for two pretty minor fouls. No common sense. Nonsense.
With the six nations back on I’ve once again noticed the huge gap between the quality of refereeing in the richest league in the world compared to a sport that only turned pro in 1995. Rugby officiating embarrasses football.
On the blog today, the stat that Partey has committed a total of 3 fouls and has been booked each time is astounding. Hes the last thing from a dirty or violent player. This all boils down to Arsenal’s history with Daivd Fucking Luiz, and that bone head Xhaka. (Auba’s two-footed, flying lunge didn’t help matters.) Now, because of them, the officials all have in their heads, either implicitly or literally, a different view of ALL Arsenal’s players. The club and the manager are in part to blame because they bought and keep playing these fuckers – and I mean… Read more »
It’s not because of David Luiz and Granit, it starts with Mike Riley, until he’s investigated this will not stop.
Out of over 20 epl games he was available … Pepe only started 5 in which he got 2 assist. 1 from a rebound.
I’m just asking, is 5 games really enough chances ?? That he refused to perform?
Pepe is better than nketiah at every thing in football yet 2 times now the latter has been preferred from the bench.
Do u people just think Pepe is not good enough?
Or is it arteta who doesn’t like him?
We need red cards ONLY for violent conduct and cheating (like Rooney diving in the penalty area to deny us the 50s unbeaten game). Yellow cards should be TEN MINUTE SIN BINS!!! That’d sort this bull out to an extent – Martinelli would have been off ten minutes and then back on to score a second 😉
I’d rather he spoke to the officials about rotational asualts on Saka than our largely stupid self-inflicted red cards.
Let get a petition to have PGMOL officially investigated for match fixing / betting / corruption, the numbers are absurd, there’s no way this can happen.