Arsenal defends Arteta’s VAR comments, calls for better officiating

Arsenal has come out to wholeheartedly support Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening. The Premier League club went to St James Park as one of the two unbeaten teams this season alongside North London rivals Tottenham.

However, after 90 minutes, the Gunners lost 1-0 to their hosts in one of the most disappointing and controversial ways possible after Anthony Gordon’s second-half strike had to be checked for three infractions. 

VAR’s three counts check were to see if the ball went out of play in the build-up, if there was a foul, and if there was an offside – with all checks in Newcastle’s favour.

Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta then went gong-ho in his post-match conference, saying that the outcome is nowhere near the level the league needs to have. The Spaniard also said it was not good enough and felt embarrassed to be part of it, calling the incident embarrassing and a disgrace.

On Sunday, Arsenal released a statement to back their manager, calling the Premier League the best league in the world but saying that the PGMOL needs to work on the quality and standard of officiating.

“Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening. We’d also like to acknowledge the huge effort and performance from our players and traveling supporters at St James’ Park. The Premier League is the best league in the world, with the best players, coaches, and supporters, all of whom deserve better. PGMOL urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action, which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations, and apologies.” The statement read.

The club also said it supports the ongoing efforts of chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and would welcome working together to achieve world-class officiating standards in England’s top-flight.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu