Selective outrage? Arsenal fans ignore referee favour in huge win over PSV

Just Arsenal News

·6 marzo 2025

Selective outrage? Arsenal fans ignore referee favour in huge win over PSV

Having won 7-1 on Tuesday night, it is easy to overlook what happened in the 26th minute.

That was when Myles Lewis-Skelly, already on a yellow card, clearly fouled Richard Ledezma. PSV fans are likely too humiliated to use this as an excuse for what unfolded, but with the score at 2-0 at the time, a red card might have kept the tie alive.

OneFootball Video

Not surprisingly, some Gooners feel that Jesús Gil Manzano’s decision should be respected—after all, he understands the rules better than us common folk. Yet, the same people who argue this have not maintained the same principles when a Gunner has been sent off this season. On such occasions, some of my peers have suggested conspiracies and bias and drawn comparisons to similar incidents where the decision differed.

Make no mistake—our left-back’s tackle (already cautioned) on Ledezma could have been interpreted by another official as warranting another booking. We cannot demand consistency from referees only when it suits us. I assume the same fans on this occasion do not mind that VAR cannot intervene in yellow card decisions? Whisper it quietly, but based on the laws of the game, Arsenal avoiding a red card was more controversial than Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard being punished for delaying a restart.

Everyone, of course, is entitled to their opinion. If you believe that referees like Michael Oliver wake up motivated to cost the Gunners points, that is your right. Maybe his employers have ordered him and his colleagues to prevent Arsenal from ever becoming champions. Why you would continue watching the sport under that belief is another question, but you are entitled to your view.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

I have always said, however, that the moment a decision goes in Mikel Arteta’s favour, that argument falls apart. Consider when Gabriel Martinelli avoided a red card earlier in the competition, when Kai Havertz dived to win a penalty in the FA Cup, or when Arsenal scored in the North London Derby from a corner that should have been a goal kick.

The irony is that had the letter of the law been followed in the Netherlands, Arsenal would have been forced to play over an hour with a man disadvantage. Fan channels would have been scrambling to justify why our defender was unlucky. I even heard the theory that tripping the striker was acceptable because he was not getting to the ball.

Firstly, that is not how I view the incident, but more importantly, there is no rule permitting players to slide into each other simply because they are not near the ball or goal—imagine the chaos that would be created. Yet, despite this clear mistake, how many Arsenal supporters are now questioning the Spanish referee’s performance? Will his integrity be scrutinised for weeks?

Were Arsenal favoured this week? Is there an agenda against the Dutch champions? Where is our manager’s outrage now?

Arsène Wenger once said he feared that a section of the fanbase was at risk of betraying the proud values our club stands for. I have previously shared the story of how, when decorating Highbury, Herbert Chapman personally paid for the paint to be Marble Red. He wanted every visitor to know that this was a club that did things differently—the right way, the classy way, the Arsenal way.

So, let us be more mature than only highlighting poor officiating when it suits us. Let us have stronger morals than only demanding change when it benefits us. Let us have higher principles than turning a blind eye when we benefit from errors while playing the victim when we do not. Let us not become a laughingstock by so blatantly contradicting what we preach.

Because, let’s be honest—if your heart truly tells you corruption exists in football, would you not want to gather as much evidence as possible? If referees are acting with premeditated bias, that could be unlawful, particularly if money is involved. Surely, establishing the facts is more important than short-term results? Would you not be relieved to find instances where Arsenal also benefit from poor officiating?

For our teenager’s development, it is crucial not to overlook his poor decision-making. It should still be a talking point, even if his reckless defending did not prove costly. I trust Mikel Arteta will have a one-on-one discussion with the 18-year-old about the importance of only going to ground when absolutely necessary—especially when already on a booking.

There were three more experienced options available in that position, and it is no disgrace to consider bringing in someone with greater knowledge of the role. I have observed goals being conceded because opponents target his side. That is not a criticism of the player—he was a midfielder in the academy, and while his manager believes he has the attributes to develop as a full-back, he will also be aware that both Thomas Partey and Jorginho will be free agents in June, meaning a defensive midfield spot could soon be available.

Many will feel uncomfortable with me pointing out that Arsenal benefited from a poor decision. They would rather it not be highlighted because it does not fit the narrative they want to push.

Which is ironic, is it not?

Because if you only want to discuss bad refereeing decisions when they go against Arsenal but ignore them when they go in our favour, then who really has the agenda?

Dan Smith

ADMIN COMMENT

So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….

You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.