Exclusive: Howard Webb could issue ‘retrospective sanctions’ after Arsenal vs Man City controversy re-analysed
Howard Webb could look to punish several Arsenal and Man City players after Stuart Attwell failed to take action at the Emirates Stadium.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the referee should have taken more authority after being surrounded on Sunday, 21 September.
Gabriel Magalhaes caused an issue for Mikel Arteta by overstepping when talking to the referee, but with Martin Odegaard currently sidelined, he was viewed as the best option for the Gunners’ captain.
That was not the only controversy during the huge clash, with Bernardo Silva and Leandro Trossard avoiding cautions for a childish incident just before the half-time break in the 1-1 draw.
Stuart Attwell fails to brandish yellow cards to Arsenal and Man City stars
That is the exact incident which saw the referee surrounded by several players, with the crowd encouraging him to send Bernardo off for a second yellow, having already picked up a caution.
New rules at the beginning of the 2025-26 Premier League season stated that only captains would be allowed to talk to referees, much like in rugby, but that already appears to have vanished from the officials’ armoury.
Attwell was surrounded by players on more than one occasion, but right up until the 90th minute, he had only dished out cards for mistimed tackles and time-wasting from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The new laws are incredibly clear that players should not be surrounding the referees after a controversial decision is made, but that has not stopped stars from escaping sanctions this season.
Howard Webb backed to take retrospective action after Arsenal vs Man City
Hackett spoke exclusively to Football Insider about how players should be punished for confronting the referee, saying: “You don’t want this to be a six-week wonder, like added time being extended at matches was. That lasted six weeks, and that was proven at Anfield.
“He needed to demonstrate more authority by waving players away. That would have helped, or just talking directly to the captains about what is happening.
“Hopefully, Webb will have a look at that and review whether he takes immediate action. Can he deal with it better? The referee must isolate the captains and tell others to go away.
“That would help not escalate the situation because, in another game, you’d start issuing yellow cards if you follow and apply the PGMOL laws.
“When three or more players surround the referee, I’d like to see sanctions. The authorities could also do that post-match, not necessarily during the game.”