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Arsenal news: Ex-Fifa official says club need visit from authorities after surprising reveal
Arsenal should bring in the PGMOL and an ex-referee to help combat their persistent issues with regular red cards, according to Keith Hackett.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee claimed ex-Arsenal director David Dein would not hesitate in taking action to curb the issue.
The Athletic reported on Friday (28 January) Arsenal have at least four more red cards than any other Premier League club since Mikel Arteta took charge in December 2019.
It comes as a surprise as the Gunners rank 18th in the division this season for tackles (321) and fouls (189).
“The main culprit here is Xhaka, he seems to get a red card almost every time he plays,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“What should happen is Arsenal should have a visit by someone from the PGMOL along with a referee to have a discussion with the players. So they can fully understand the difference between a yellow and a red because they clearly don’t.
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“This is the difficulty that sometimes happens when a new manager comes in who has been a player. He needs to get that authority in.
“If a manager knows a player, once he’s got a yellow the chance to get a second is always there so substitute him. There have been a number of occasions when Xhaka has committed a yellow card offence and the manager should haul him off.
“When you look at the reds that have given it’s because they fulfil serious foul play or it’s a second yellow. I think second yellow cards can be avoided if the manager takes the appropriate action by substituting the player.
“The serious foul play red cards say to me the manager wants them to get stuck in and meet the English criteria of football and they’re going over the top.
“I’ve got to say, in the past in those situations, David Dein would have had the referee in straight away. I do think Arsenal need to get someone in to look at it and give them guidance.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed Arteta and Stan Kroenke could be ‘building something special’ after Arsenal images emerge.