At their next meeting with PGMOL, Arsenal will provide a list of VAR decisions that have gone against them over the previous 18 months.
Following the sour aftermath of last weekend’s contentious defeat at Newcastle, the Gunners are still at war with the officials.
Mikel Arteta is poised to face punishment after he lambasted the decision to allow Anthony Gordon’s disputed winning goal and was plainly furious that Bruno Guimaraes escaped with a red card following a confrontation with Jorginho.
Arsenal backed up their boss with a strongly worded statement on Sunday, bemoaning the caliber of officiating, and are set to face the repercussions in the following 48 hours.
‘Arsenal Football Club totally endorses Mikel Arteta’s post-match statements following yet more inexcusable officiating and VAR blunders on Saturday evening,’ said the statement.
‘We’d also want to thank our players and traveling supporters for their tremendous effort and performance at St James’ Park.
‘The Premier League is the finest league in the world, with the top players, managers, and fans who all deserve more. PGMOL must address the level of officiating immediately and focus on action that pushes us all forward from retroactive analysis, attempted explanations, and apologies.
‘We applaud the continued efforts of Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb and would welcome the opportunity to collaborate in order to reach the world-class officiating standards that our league requires.’
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal’s complaints have not gone over well with PGMOL, who think the north London club’s response has been much too harsh and have no intentions to reply publicly.
Arsenal, on the other hand, is adamant that Saturday’s issue was not an isolated incident and that they have been the victims of a series of judgments that reveal a clear trend.
Furthermore, in their next meeting, Arsenal will reference judgments dating back to last season as proof of the double standards they believe they have faced.
Among Arsenal’s grievances are Gabriel Martinelli’s disallowed goal at Old Trafford, which was chalked off for a minor foul by Martin Odegaard on Christian Eriksen near the halfway line, and Lee Mason forgetting to draw the lines, which would almost certainly have resulted in Ivan Toney’s equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Brentford being ruled out.
Arsenal will also point to Mateo Kovacic’s avoidance of a red card against them last month as an example of very questionable officiating, as the Manchester City midfielder was allowed off the hook for two cautionable offenses in a row.
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