5 hours Ago By [email protected] (Kasra Moradi)
Gary Lineker has rubbished the idea of a refereeing and VAR conspiracy against Arsenal after the side picked up their third red card of the season against Bournemouth . The Gunners suffered their first Premier League defeat of the campaign on Saturday with a 2-0 loss at the Vitality Stadium . Both Cherries goals came in the second half, with Ryan Christie scoring from a slick corner routine on the 70th minute mark while Justin Kluivert converted his penalty nine minutes later.
The decisive moment in the game was William Saliba ’s straight red card for Arsenal in the 30th minute. The Frenchman committed a foul as the last defender when Bournemouth looked to break through, and, despite initially being shown a yellow by official Robert Jones, Jones changed his decision to a red card after being prompted by VAR to take another look at the incident. It followed the second yellow cards received by Saliba’s team-mates Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard in recent months for kicking the ball away after committing fouls, which were both deemed extremely harsh by the Arsenal faithful.
And the idea of an agenda against Mikel Arteta ’s title-chasing side this season only gained more traction after PGMOL chief Howard Webb was spotted speaking on the phone during the Saliba’s VAR review, prompting theories online that he was he was involved in the decision-making process . Match of the Day presenter Lineker has now shut down those “conspiratorial” claims. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I very much doubt that VAR and the referees all gather together and go ‘we’ve got to make sure Arsenal don’t get any decisions this season’.
What I’m trying to say is I think it’s pretty conspiratorial to think it’s a deliberate thing against Arsenal. Micah Richards chimed in with: “I don’t think there’s a conspiracy but there are media darlings over the years and other teams have had a lot more decisions than others,” to which Lineker said: “I think that comes down to the influence of the crowd and the atmosphere and things like that. “I don’t think referees ever go out there to favour the home side.
I think it’s a pressure that builds, they give a couple of decisions against the home team and then it builds and then it becomes a contentious decision which he gives in their favour. “I don’t think it’s a deliberate thing. I think referees have always subconsciously always favoured the home team, particularly in places where there’s a big atmosphere.
It’s just kind of being a human being.” Saliba's dismissal meant it was the third time Arsenal have had to play with 10 men in the opening eight games of the season. They have dropped points on each occasion.
Aside from Webb’s untimely appearance, the defender’s red card was made an even greater talking point by the fact that a similar incident was not met with such firm action during Chelsea ’s visit to Liverpool on Sunday. Blues defender Tosin Adarabioyo was also the last man when he pulled down Liverpool’s Diogo Jota in his own half, for which he received only a yellow card. Upon review, it appeared that the difference between the Adarabioyo and Saliba incidents was the closer proximity of a covering defender, the ball’s trajectory (heading towards the side of the pitch as opposed to towards goal) and the Chelsea foul occurring further away from goal.
And yet the fact that Saliba’s red card remains a hot and contentious topic suggests the referee's yellow card decision was not a ‘clear and obvious error’ but a subjective call, meaning VAR may not have had to intervene in the first place. Arsenal supporters’ fury has been compounded by the dozens of other examples of players stopping opposition free-kicks from being taken quickly this season, which have not been dealt with such heavy-handed officiating as the Rice and Trossard cases. Rice complained to referee Jones after his decision on Saturday that “every week it's the same”, suggesting poor or unfair officiating when the Gunners are involved.
Despite having bemoaned the red cards given to the aforementioned duo for delaying the restart – a rule only implemented this season – Arteta indicated no appeal would be made regarding Saliba. The Spaniard instead stated that his side must stop going a man down if they are to win the title. The Arsenal manager said on Saturday night: "Playing with 10 men there is obviously an issue.
When you analyse the three different actions and the outcomes it’s very different. When you play with 10 men for 65 minutes, the task becomes almost impossible. So, we need to eradicate that.
“It's clear why, the reason and how, it doesn't matter. We have to focus and it has to happen. The most effective way [of avoiding further red cards], I have to be very honest, is not talking about it.
Because we tried and we showed and we talked and we repeated the message that we had to play with 11 and it happened again after a week or after three weeks and they said: ‘Guys, let's try something else.’ And then it disappeared." Speaking specifically on Saliba's red card he added: "It's a split of a second decision you have to make.
The striker is on his back. Obviously, he doesn't expect the ball suddenly to be coming his way. He just made a decision and that's it.
" Arsenal now find themselves three points behind champions Manchester City and four points behind Liverpool , who are topping the table at this early stage. Saliba's red card also means he will now miss the blockbuster clash with Liverpool at Anfield next weekend. The new shirt has returned the Gunners to their roots placing a stripped-down, elegant-looking canon right over the heart of the new shirt.
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