Hackett Exclusive: Arteta faces charge after Arsenal complaints, but he’s right
Mikel Arteta may be charged for his latest comments on refereeing decisions against Arsenal this season, says Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider however that the Gunner’s manager “has a point” in his complaints that other teams are not being shown cards for kicking the ball away.
Declan Rice was shown a red card against Brighton for kicking the ball away from Joel Veltman, and received a boot to the calf for doing so, as Arsenal drew 1-1 with the Seagulls on 31 August.
Leandro Trossard was shown a second yellow against Man City, for a similar offence in a 2-2 draw on 22 September.
The Gunners have played a combined 210 minutes whilst reduced to 10 men this season, having been shown the most red cards (5) of any Premier League team.
Arteta has now suggested that officials are acting differently to how they did against his side this term, saying: “Yes there are things in certain red cards that we had that we could have done differently. Even though now the rules appear to change again and not considered what it was before.”
Ex-PGMOL chief backs Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in red card debate
Arsenal have been involved in a number of refereeing debates recently, with Myles Lewis-Skelly having his red card against Wolves overturned.
Lewis-Skelly received another red card against West Ham on Saturday (22 February), as the North London side fell 11 points behind Liverpool following their 1-0 loss.
Refereeing and VAR performances have dominated headlines this season, leading to Hackett suggesting a major PGMOL review was necessary to stamp out the issues.
| Premier League disciplinary standings | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| 1. Arsenal | 51 | 5 |
| 2. Southampton | 74 | 3 |
| 3. Ipswich | 62 | 3 |
| 4. West Ham | 57 | 3 |
| 5. Fulham | 59 | 2 |
| 6. Man United | 58 | 2 |
| 7. Wolves | 57 | 2 |
| 8. Everton | 55 | 2 |
| 9. Nottingham Forest | 55 | 2 |
| 10. Aston Villa | 54 | 2 |
When asked by Football Insider for his verdict on Arteta’s comments about Arsenal’s treatment this season, the ex-PGMOL chief said:
“With the recent fines imposed by the Football Association Disciplinary Department, Arteta making these public statements about refereeing issues puts him at risk of being charged.
“However, I do think that he has a point.”
Arsenal face third successive second-placed finish after red cards and injuries
Following season-ending injuries to Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, Arsenal now look set to finish as Premier League runners-up for a third successive season.
The Gunners have been scrutinised for their playstyle this season, often relying on set-piece goals, niggling fouls and time-wasting tactics to guarantee victories.
However, despite building up a reputation, Arsenal have been desperately unfortunate to receive several underserved red cards this season.