Instances of Arsenal and its players being harshly treated by English Referees and VAR officials
Controversial refereeing decisions in football are never-ending. Despite the introduction of VAR, the controversies have never died down. In fact, it is only after the introduction of VAR that a lot of heated debates have arisen. Among the most affected, is the Arsenal faithful who feel are always on the wrong side of refereeing decisions. At least that’s how things have looked when viewed from a Gooner’s POV.
Here is a look into 5 recent instances where Arsenal players were allegedly given harsh treatment by the English referees:
Gabriel Martinelli double-yellow card vs. Wolves in 2022
In the 2021-22 season, Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta were for the first time picking up steam and showing signs of promise. However, in February 2022, a bizarre incident took place involving attacker Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian youngster, after losing possession, pushed Daniel Podence who attempted to take a quick throw. However, Chiquinho collected the ball and attempted to make a steady run towards putting the ball into the box. The rapid Martinelli however, tracked him and took him down. Referee Michael Oliver who had seen all this dished out two yellow cards, first for the push on Podence and next for the tackle on Chiquinho, something that’s rarely been seen in top-level football.
The Brazilian was devastated just like the rest of his teammates and millions of Arsenal fans watching around the globe. He had been sent off in one of the weirdest ways possible.
David Luiz vs. Wolves in 2021
Another Arsenal vs. Wolves incident. This one came exactly a year before the aforementioned Martinelli incident. This was Arsenal’s worst-ever season in recent history, and Mikel Arteta was struggling to impress the owners. Wolves, meanwhile, under Nuno Espirito Santo hadn’t won since December 2020. Arsenal were looking to be in cruise control at the Molineux with a 1-0 early lead.
However, the often-criticized David Luiz found himself in an unfortunate situation. Willian Jose of Wolves was ahead of Luiz inside the box, running at a decent speed. The Brazilian CB who was trailing closely behind Jose never really pushed him, but the legs of the Wolves attacker got caught with Luiz’s causing him to go down. The referee Craig Pawson took no time to hand out the marching orders for Luiz, and eventually awarded a penalty for the Wolves. Even though the replays showed that it was Jose who had tripped his legs into Luiz, VAR never overturned it, much to the Gunners’ dismay.
Arsenal vs. Newcastle United 2023
The month was November of the 2023-24 season. Arsenal were cruising and were still unbeaten in the Premier League. Heading into the second half, the game was more or less in the balance.
However, in the 63rd minute, Joe Willock, the former Arsenal man was in pursuit of a mishit shot from Jacob Murphy, while the ball appeared to cross the line for a goal kick, Willock retrieved the ball and sent a cross to Joelinton who was menacingly present inside the box. The Brazilian appeared to shove Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes with two hands, eventually passing the ball to Anthony Gordon, who appeared to be offside before putting the ball in the back of the net.
All three were checked and cleared by VAR much to the dismay of Arsenal. They went on to lose the match, 1-0, their first loss of the 2023-24 EPL season. A fuming Arteta called the refereeing a “disgrace” after the match, which created a massive controversy.
Declan Rice vs. Brighton 2024
Arsenal were looking strong against an unbeaten Brighton early into the 2024-2025 season. Having taken the lead through Kai Havertz in the first half, Arsenal began to have more control of the game in the second half. However, referee Chris Kavanagh allegedly spoiled the day for Arsenal and its fans. As Joel Veltman of Brighton was about to take a quick freekick, Declan Rice, who was already on a yellow card, appeared to slightly tap the ball away with his foot. At the same time, Veltman had proceeded to launch the ball, which in turn resulted in Rice being kicked.
While the whole Emirates crowd was waiting for Kavanagh to punish Veltman, the unthinkable happened. Rice was shown a second yellow card and was given his marching orders. Arsenal ended up drawing that game.
Leandro Trossard vs. Manchester City 2024
Just a couple of weeks after the Declan Rice incident, this time it was the Belgian. After already being booked for a shirt pull, the hasty Trossard decided to kick the ball away after appearing to barge into Bernardo Silva in the dying minutes of the first half. Arsenal who were in the lead 1-2, against the Citizens, were shocked when referee Michael Oliver (once again) handed out a second yellow to the Belgian.
It was later revealed that the second yellow was for kicking the ball away after the whistle, and not for barging into Silva. City would go on to draw that game, 2-2.
