There has been a heavy fallout following Arsenal’s controversial defeat to Newcastle, as the club issued a statement backing manager Mikel Arteta for comments he made after the game.
Arteta furiously slammed the quality of refereeing within the Premier League, calling the decisions his side suffered a “disgrace,” and his comments have been sneered at by some within the media.
Arsenal are now coming under further scrutiny for a statement they made the next day, backing Arteta’s comments and calling upon the refereeing association, PGMOL, and their head Howard Webb, to do more to improve the quality of refereeing within the Premier League.
Ex-referee echoes Arsenal’s statement
Arsenal’s statement highlighted issues with both the quality of refereeing and what they are doing to combat the endless high-profile errors made, with post-game apologies no longer deemed acceptable.
“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 statement read.
“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.”
Ex-Premier League referee Mark Halsey has now agreed with Arsenal, writing in The Sun that Webb and his organisation are not doing enough.
“It was the latest high-profile error and the mistakes are happening every week,” Halsey wrote.
“Why is this? The leadership, direction and coaching from Howard Webb’s management team is not up to the task.”
Clubs need to unite with Arsenal
It is clear that there are major issues with how refereeing in the Premier League is both carried out and reviewed, and this affects all clubs, not just Arsenal.
Certain figures in the media are now criticising the club for issuing the statement, but the statement comes just weeks after Liverpool issued a similar one following a farcical refereeing display cost them points against Tottenham Hotspur.
Whilst others choose to criticise Arsenal’s stance over the issue, the problems will still remain, but rivals are seemingly more keen on slamming Arteta and his side than they are on fixing the issues which will almost certainly negatively impact their own sides soon.
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