Arsenal have appealed Myles Lewis-Skelly’s controversial red card against Wolves after the PGMOL doubled down on a charge of serious foul play,
Not that you needed a reminder, but the 18-year-old full-back was given his marching orders in the 43rd minute of Saturday’s 1-0 win at Molineux after breaking up a counter-attack with a cynical trip on Matt Doherty.
The foul, which was totally deliberate, would normally have earned Lewis-Skelly a booking but referee Michael Oliver couldn’t wait to send him packing and quickly produced a red.
Adding insult to injury, Darren England on VAR duty at Stockley Park, checked and cleared the decision. As Lewis-Skelly was led down the tunnel, supporters and pundits alike raged at the injustice.
After the game, Mikel Arteta admitted he was “fuming” about the decision but hoped it would be overturned without the Gunners having to go through a formal appeal process.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, his request fell on deaf ears.
On Sunday, the PGMOL released a statement condemning the abuse aimed at Michael Oliver and his family and reported the police had begun investigating the perpetrators.
Arsenal will now wait to hear the findings of the Premier League’s Key Match Incident (KMI) Panel which features five members – three ex-players and/or coaches, one Premier League representative, and one for PGMOL.
Each member has one vote across the KMIs in two categories – the referee’s original decision, and whether the VAR should intervene. A majority decision dictates whether they were right or wrong.
During Sky Sports Soccer Saturday coverage, ex-referee Mike Dean, hardly a fan of Arsenal supporters, suggested the Gunners would stand a good chance of winning over the ex-pros and coaches on the panel. But let’s wait and see.
As things stand, Lewis-Skelly is facing a three-game ban.
Am I right in thinking that this is the fourth red card that we have received in the first half of games this season? I mean, first half reds are supposed to be a rarity, we’re getting them in 20-25% of our games. I bet most PL teams have not even had one first half dismissal this season
Sorry – it’s 3 – Declan rice red was a whole four minutes into the second half
We have played 12 away games this season and had a player sent off during the first half in 3 of those 12. That’s 25% of our away games we’ve had ten men for an entire half. What are the percentages for other teams? Rather than who has had the most red cards, I’d like to see the stats for the amount of minutes each team has played with ten men – I think we’d be way ahead of anyone. Saliba was sent off after 30 mins. I’m not crying conspiracy but these figures are starting to look pretty stark… Read more »
Another strange fact is that none of those 4 red cards were for dangerous actions. The one last weekend which most of the football community agree is one of the most ridiculous decisions made in recent years, is the only one you may somewhat deem dangerous.
It’s not a conspiracy, bias are real.
Think about it this way, there are countless examples of top referees being caught match fixing. If some top referees are even considering match fixing (let alone partaking in it and being caught), how likely is it that they are actively arresting their unconscious bias?
We have a massive problem here as a club because we are faced with an arrogant and oppressive governing body that won’t change for anyone, let alone a club they clearly have a problem with.
The patterns are obscene. Just obscene. And it’s been going on for far too long. While we’re on the subject of dangerous play, find a club in all of the pyramid, all Europe, who have had three players’ legs broken in 6 years – 2006, 2008, 2010. What does that say about the referees and their priorities? And we’re now supposed to believe these unmentionables have player safety at heart? It’s the badge on the shirt, and the colour of money.
The most poetic sentence to end a comment. Love it.
You’re very kind, please give my love to Papa
It’s ridiculous that we’ve even needed to do this. The PGMOL should have corrected the mistake and lifted the three match ban already themselves. What a sorry governing body they are.
The fact we’ve needed to appeal at all makes me think they will reject it. Why make us appeal just for it to make further headlines if they overturn the decision, hence proving Arsenal right which is the last thing they want, *and* putting in question the reputation of one of their top officials. Nah, easier to reject it given most of the country (other than people who actually care about football rules and fairness) will be happy if they do and support them in doing it.
As far as I understand it the appeal will be adjudicated by a mostly independent panel, so the PGMOL shouldn’t hold much sway in the verdict. It’s just it shouldn’t have had to come to this. The whole football world can see the decision was wrong. They should have, for once, done the right thing.
Knowing our luck the panel probably consists of Tim Sherwood, Teddy Sherringham, Ruud Van Nistleroy, the corpse of Peter McWiliam and Michael Oliver.
To be fair, Sherwood said it was not a red right away.
Do you know if they release information on who is sitting on the panel, before or after the appeal process?
I’m not familiar with those details.
You are right but pgmol seem to be a law unto themselves and will never admit they are wrong and, more importantly, will never allow anyone else to change their decision. I hope I am wrong in thinking that but do NOT be surprised.
Just a small idea pgmol: Instead of another referee as the VAR, have 5 ex players. They can quickly vote on the big decisions. To avoid big personalities (e.g. a player who thinks a two footed tackle is perfectly fine) then just increase the number from 5 to say 9 to give a better average. This method would also give more useful thoughtful feedback to referees. They could even recruit players from lower leagues to give them a career after playing. Maybe it wouldn’t work, I don’t know, I just wish pgmol would accept help (and not just from pr… Read more »
100% VAR and match day refs ought to be separated. Using more ex players, particularly from lower leagues is a good idea.
Just have an independent organisation do it
I bet a bunch of 18 year old gamers would run it like clockwork.
I was saying the exact same thing to my mates yesterday. They came back with ex pros wont know the rules of the game like a ref does. I think there are some decisions which are black and white and up to the ref to apply the rules. Then there are judgement call decisions and i think its those that have played the game that are better placed to make those decisions. How many times have you heard an ex pro on TV say “he was looking to do him there” or “there was nothing in that, just a coming… Read more »
The better option would be to remove ex players or referees entirely and employ intelligent independent individuals with no underlying bias associated with the game. People who can simply apply the rules as they are written consistently. There is enough money in the game to fund genuine independence and competency; we need to move on from the idea you need to have played or refereed the game to have expertise in video based decision making.
No system is free from corruption. The unbelievable part is that there is no direct proof – emails, bank accounts – of these guys being on the take that can lead to some prosecutions or lifetime bans.
I don’t know what these English football journalists are doing. Even the mails that triggered City’s PSR investigation were leaked by a Portuguese person and published first by a German paper. Apparently English papers can tap phones to snoop into who’s sleeping with whom, but when it comes to actual investigative journalism, nada.
It’s so blatant at times that I have come to the conclusion that it is probably an unofficial premier league directive to create refereeing controversy. It drives engagement and provides the midweek pantomime. The premier league relies on income from broadcast media and sponsorship, and the premier league funds the PGMOL so their financial interests are intertwined. These refs seemingly have nice deals – £100,000k basic and like £1,500 each game they ref – so I am sure the PGMOL are able to find plenty of willing employees (refs) who would agree to bend the rules for that kind of… Read more »
It needs a system that is followed explicitly – even more than selecting the personalities. Why on earth have the match referee stand in the middle of the pitch waiting on someone(s) else to review. For big decisions the ref can immediately go to the screen and confirm or modify with the assistance of the tech. If we can get the automated offside up and running like it has for euros – those calls are matter of fact. Goals – matter of fact with the tech. So it’s fouls around goals / pens & reds / yellows. Any indication of… Read more »
Terrific idea, but that would undermine their power, which they relish.
I hope the appeal began with “Dear F*ck Faces…”
Is the ban suspended while the appeal is in progress? Guess it only matters if it drags on past the weekend.
Put your house on it.Theyll uphold the original decision.100%Anything else & I’ll be astounded.
That’s not a very positive outcome, Pete.
I will be fucking livid if you’re right.
Prepare to be disappointed….
I think I will stop following football if that’s the outcome, takes all the pleasure out of it knowing cheats are screwing the system!!! Juve were bad enough and I don’t understand why the titles they were stripped of were not awarded to the runner up 😲
Yeah well, the red card got overturned. I hope that no one followed your advice to put their house on it not being reversed 😅!!
Don’t laugh but eventually AI will take over the decision making.i hsve seen the future.Hopefully sooner than later.It will analyse a decision on an incident in seconds.Hopefully on the next decade or sooner.
Ask yourselves why despite the technology readily available & used in the World Cup & CL no less for offside decisions in seconds has not been implemented yet.( flimsy excuse used- won’t go into it) despite its use elsewhere for the last two seasons?
Its because PGMOL don’t want to relinquish their chance to influence games clearly.Less power & of course limelight on them.
Ai is a joke for 2 reasons:
It’s used to justify horrible decisions and assuage the guilt of those making the decision (genocide, redundancies, impoverishment, etc), and it is inherently biased by those who are programming it.
You cannot rely on a computer to make a decision for you because those decisions are never made in isolation, regardless of what people like bibi netanyahu or Sam altman or Larry ellison tell you. Ai is a way to facilitate the upward transfer of capital and further emiserate people in the global South while removing your job.
Err, yea ok mate,,,,
Arsenal shoulder drag their( PGMOL) sorry arses through the courts.Not kidding.
PGMOL only have one seat on the ‘panel’ so you’d hope the other 4 have enough sense to uphold the appeal. I won’t hold my breath.
Do we know, or are we ever to be told, who those other panellists were or will be?
You can bet they’ve had a finger in the pie as to who the other FOUR are though.
Yeah, Arteta was being more than optimistic that they would overturn it without the appeal. Never happening, not for us anyway. They always nitpick, rationalise their bullshit and hide behind the words “clear and obvious error”. The clear and obvious error is they have jobs. I still have my doubts the panel will do the right thing at all. And we are already facing pushback from how shitty they are at their jobs. Like, you could convince me they aren’t bribed to fuck us over, but you would never convince me they don’t just hate us. That is clear. Wenger… Read more »
Its mad how we are being painted as the villains in this whole thing. I fear we are going to be on the end of a pgmol backlash now, expect some even more shocking decisions to come
When does the appeal result come out?
As a arsenal fan I’ve got to day this season asnt been our best but the red cards are totally laughable remember when saka was pulled back by his shirt in the penalty area in final against Italy that a red card didn’t even get a yellow so how can this stand.
Arsenal FC. made the right decision to challenge the PGMOL on Lewis Skelly’s red card. This is a very good incident to bring up to the PGMOL. At the very least, there is some form of aftermath justice being restored. Check and balances is a key component of any legal system.