Rio Ferdinand questions why Kai Havertz wasn’t mentioned in Arsenal’s statement blasting VAR officials following loss to Newcastle despite avoiding a red card… as he hits out at Mikel Arteta’s ‘meltdown’
- Rio Ferdinand has hit out at Arsenal’s statement hammering VAR officials
- He questioned why they didn’t mention Kai Havertz despite avoiding a red card
- CHRIS SUTTON: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a clown – It’s All Kicking Off
Rio Ferdinand has taken issue with Arsenal’s statement criticising VAR officials after their controversial loss to Newcastle – questioning why Kai Havertz was not mentioned despite avoiding a red card.
The Gunners were beaten 1-0 by the Magpies on Tyneside in contentious circumstances when Anthony Gordon bundled home from close range despite three possible infringements in the build up.
VAR debated for four minutes while checking to see if the ball had initially gone out of play, an offside from Gordon and a foul on Gabriel.
Chiefs at Stockley Park eventually decided that no infringements had been committed as they awarded the goal – leaving Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta furious and calling the goal ‘a disgrace’ – before the club backed him in a statement.
But Ferdinand said the club should have made reference to Havertz to balance their argument – after the German was lucky to avoid a red card for a dangerous challenge on Sean Longstaff earlier in the game.
Rio Ferdinand has hit out at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s ‘meltdown’ after their controversial defeat to Newcastle
Ferdinand questioned why Havertz was not mentioned in Arsenal’s subsequent statement hitting out at VAR officials – despite avoiding a red card in the game
Your browser does not support iframes.
He said it was an ‘absolute red card’ and said Arsenal should have accepted that decisions didn’t go their way – labelling Arteta’s angry post-match press conference ‘a meltdown’.
‘Arsenal have come out with boxing gloves – UFC gloves on,’ he told his YouTube channel Vibe With Five.
‘They’re coming out and going nuts. But you’ve got to give them an absolute bye when Havertz didn’t get sent off. That’s an absolute red card mate. It’s not even a query – it’s a red card. That wasn’t mentioned in the statement after or the meltdown.
‘It’s swings and roundabouts these games – you win some you lose some. You get some decisions, you don’t get some. Havertz hasn’t even been mentioned this weekend.’
Arteta was livid after the game, calling the goal ‘a disgrace’ and ‘an embarrassment’ – but did not mention the incident involving Havertz (R)
Ferdinand is one of many names in sport that have been critical of Arsenal’s furious reaction to the game – with Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both agreeing their response went too far.
After Arsenal released a statement hitting out at ‘yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors’, Neville said: ‘I can never remember [Man United] writing letters undermining the system and the whole refereeing community.
Officials had to assess three separate incidents before the decision to award Gordon’s goal
‘Arsenal’s letter and even the Liverpool statement a few weeks ago ( they had a genuine bad one v them ) are wrong. Do it privately. Managers and players make far more mistakes than refs!’
Carragher added that the club’s words were ‘way over the top’, adding: ‘This is not a moment to jump on the bandwagon with VAR and just batter people at Stockley Park and the officials because that’s not right.’
In a statement on Sunday, Arsenal said: ”Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening.
‘We’d also like to acknowledge the huge effort and performance from our players and travelling supporters at St James’ Park.
‘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.
‘We support the ongoing efforts of Chief Refereeing Officer, Howard Webb and would welcome working together to achieve the world-class officiating standards our league demands.’
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify
Your browser does not support iframes.
Source: Read Full Article