The Premier League could be about to change when it comes to how players celebrate goals.
An uproar came from Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Manchester City, and not for the reasons that many would expect.
People haven’t just been talking about Arsenal’s performance, or Mikel Arteta’s game plan but the rather insignificant moments of the resounding win instead.
In particular, Myles Lewis-Skelly has been placed under the microscope for the manner in which he celebrated his goal, which has led to a remarkable statement from the Premier League.
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Ian Wright reacts to Premier League crackdown on celebrations
After the Hale End graduate scored his first senior goal for his boyhood club, he wheeled away in celebration, as expected.
Lewis-Skelly decided to copy Erling Haaland’s celebration, reacting to the Man City’s striker’s mocking of the teenager in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium.
At full time of the 2-2 draw in September, Haaland confronted Lewis-Skelly, saying “who are you?”, to which the teenager responded humorously by mimicking the Norwegian’s celebration.
It’s not the first time that celebrations have been copied and it certainly won’t be the last, or will it?
Following the win, a statement was released by the Premier League’s chief football officer Tony Scholes, who raised that players could soon be punished for how they celebrate.
“There’s a balance. I think we all like to see celebrations. Some of the celebrations have been very funny, entertaining, but there’s a line,” He said.
“Once it crosses over into mockery or criticism then we would need to deal with it.”
Fans were understandably outraged by the news, that discourages healthy rivalry between players and clubs, with Ian Wright being one figure to react to the statement.
On X, the Arsenal legend said he’d have been ‘locked up’ for how he used to celebrate during his career.
“They would be calling for me to be locked up!!! VAR already taking away the celebrations and now this! Kmt,” Wright said.
Celebrations are a part of football
The timing of the statement was unpleasant for Arsenal, as Lewis-Skelly’s celebration hasn’t escaped the spotlight.
Some of the best memories in the Premier League come from the rush of how a player celebrates a goal, but a line is now being drawn, sucking the life out of the opportunity for expression in the game.
Both Pep Guardiola and Arteta commented on Lewis-Skelly’s celebration, with both figures failing to grasp the significance of how the player commemorated his goal – which says a lot.
Many fans, including Wright, will be perplexed by the timing of the statement and the words that Scholes said, in what is a rather frustrating time to be a consumer of Premier League football.
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