Arsenal have issued a strongly-worded statement in support of manager Mikel Arteta's criticism of VAR following their controversial 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United. The club called on the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) to urgently address the standard of officiating, saying the Premier League deserves world-class refereeing.
The controversy stemmed from Anthony Gordon's 64th-minute winner for Newcastle, which survived a lengthy VAR check for a possible offside, a foul, and whether the ball had gone out of play. Arteta described the decision as 'disgraceful', leaving him feeling 'sick' and 'embarrassed'.
In their statement on Sunday, Arsenal said: 'The Premier League is the best league in the world with the best players, coaches and supporters, all of whom deserve better. PGMOL urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies.'
The match also saw several flashpoints, with Kai Havertz fortunate to avoid a red card for a tackle on Sean Longstaff, and Bruno Guimarães escaping punishment for an elbow on Jorginho. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe noted a lack of discipline from both sides.
Arsenal's statement concluded by expressing support for PGMOL chief Howard Webb's efforts but emphasised the need for collaboration to achieve world-class officiating standards. The PGMOL has yet to respond. This incident follows a previous apology from PGMOL for wrongly disallowing a goal for Liverpool in a defeat to Tottenham, which was described as revealing 'systemic failures' in decision-making.
