Arsenal releases a strong statement in support of Mikel Arteta

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, celebrates following their sides victory after the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on October 08, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Arsenal has released a statement and insists they strongly support the manager Mikel Arteta after his team were beaten by Newcastle United yesterday, thanks to a very controversial goal.

Newcastle’s winning goal came after the ball had seemingly crossed the line and went out of play, according to several images online.

However, VAR never spotted this and the goal was allowed to stand after it was checked for a potential foul in the build-up as well.

Arteta called the decision to allow it to stand a disgrace and claimed it cost his team.

He has had many supporters and others disagree with him, but Arsenal has released a statement supporting their manager.

It reads:

“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.”

Just Arsenal Opinion

No Arsenal supporter or player will see the goal and not agree that we were robbed.

The ball had clearly crossed the line, but VAR continues to make these types of mistakes and we probably just have to hope for the best next time while moving on.

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Tags Mikel Arteta

31 Comments

  1. I don’t expect any less, big ups. Although the sooner we move on the better. The case with the PGMOL rubbish and our opponents behaviour last night will surely sort itself naturally.

  2. I fear that Arsenal will become an even bigger target for the media, referees and football association simply by highlighting the injustices. These people are not accountable.

  3. I don’t see how anyone doesn’t support the boss, I don’t always agree with his methods but he spoke with so much passion that we should all get behind him and the team. And for what it’s worth I thought he was 💯 percent RIGHT

  4. Arsenal seems to be the team that is mostly at the receiving end of these referring goofs.
    I have lost count since our game last season at OT when our goal was wrongfully chucked off for a supposed foul by Ødegaard that was later admitted an error.
    Coincidence? I hope so

  5. OK!! If Arsenal can prove with conclusive evidence that the ball “out” was actually “in” . If Arsenal can prove with evidence that the offside was offside and provide evidence. Then this statement is worthy. The foul or non foul, was not 100% foul, so can not be overturned, so that can not be an issue. If they cant, then i dont know where this is going, except people saying, whinging Arsenal. Get the evidence and its got legs, no evidence and its going nowhere good. I dont think this should have gone puplic but initially contacted Webb for clarification of what went on. Just ranting without physical evidence is futile.

    1. The evidence is there obviously live on screens right from when the ball was out of play as proved when viewed at different angles and Joelinton’s deliberate two hand push on Gabriel. i give them the offside. one thing for sure it was out of incompetence or even corruption to have allowed that goal, no need for further investigations or providing evidence to know what can be seen by every individual with two well functioning eyes.

      1. No it wasn’t. There is evidence. An angle of a camera, not directly over the ball, is not evidence. There has been NO evidence yet.

      2. And that “push” as you put it, it your opinion, thats not evidence. If you understand VAR, unless it is 100% a foul, it cant be changed. It wasnt 100%, people have different opinions as to wether it was or not, thats not 100%. What you cant grasp is, to cancel that goal out would have been far worse. You dont understand there was no Vehicle in place to 100% prove any of the incidents, how ever unlucky we think we were.

        1. Joelington obviously placed his hands on Gabriel and visibly applied a force to affect his stance to win the header, simple eye view shows that, no need for any form of “vehicle” to see what obviously happened. So yeah, i grasp that if not yet again the other two incidents that was stupidly given against us. Terrible and corrupt decision, simple!!!

      3. You are making things up to suit your narative. You dont make rules up or change rules during a game, you cant do that. There isn’t one camera directly over the ball, anywhere in VAR. Unless it is directly over and in use before hand, you cant use some spurious angle to suit. Thats rediculous.

        1. Every angle showed the ball was OUT OF PLAY. Nothing to do with “narratives”, just what it unfortunately is, INCOMPETENCE AND STUPIDITY!!!

          1. There is only one angle that matters, over the ball and VAR doesn’t have a camera for that. You cant use spurious angles. NOTHING WAS PROVED to change anything.

        2. Did you not see that VAR check the ball angle at a glance.
          Why did the ref not look into it.
          if it was not roberry.
          Anyway nothing I can do because the point has already been handed to the cheating team.

  6. A few months ago I wrote an article on here slating the concept of VAR. I wrote then and believe to this moment that it is killing football and the crucial enjoyment that ordinary fans around the country are entitled to get , esp given the hiuge cost of attending games.
    Sad for me to read, a strong majority disgreed with me and said VAR has improved games. Well, then you must be on another planet from me.

    I reside sane and normal, here on Earth and can see clearly what a regular farce it has become, week in week out, just as I predicted it would the moment it first came in.

    It is a sick joke and all sane fans OUGHT to be rising up, protesting vigorously against its very existence. Sigh!

    Our own manager thinks it is a disgrace, correctly too!

    1. Jon
      I have seen enough of VAR and all the wrong calls. Liverpool lost points, Wolves have been wronged TWICE already and lost points.

      Yet again a stream of apologies like last year, as if that rectifies the wrongs done to those teams. I was in solidarity with Arteta last year when he said “I don’t want your apology, I want the points….”

      It’s a disgrace at this point; far beyond the laughing stock and mocking we are used to hearing from fans.

      I think VAR is hurting this game, doing more harm than good. It should be suspended until a time (if at all) when it can be properly managed, as in rugby for example.

      The officiating is atrocious at times as well. Refs are there to enforce the rules, nothing more. To read about the ref saying he didn’t want to lessen the game by reducing City to 10 men against our full squad was despicable.

      Accountability is desperately needed, perhaps an outside committee to oversee the PGMOL for starters.

      VAR has gotten worse in my opinion since it’s implementation, and I don’t think the game has improved.

      1. Durand, I hope you don’t think I’m being padantic here, but how has VAR got worse?

        It’s the implementation of VAR that has got worse and whose fault is that?

        Why did we decide to implement VAR in a different way to the rest of Europe.
        Because the PGMOL think they know better and Mike Riley is/was the architect of ensuring referees are answerable to no one.

        It is farcical, but only in the PL and continues to corrupt the game.

        1. Ken
          Gotten worse in the sense that weekly it seems the incompetence of VAR is costing clubs valuable points. Twice Wolves have been done wrong in a SPAN OF WEEKS!

          Already just into November and there are half a dozen examples of costing teams points.

          It is farcical at this point, from unprofessionalism of forgetting to draw lines, to interpreting intent of a push on whether or not it’s a foul.

          One week Rashford was out of bounds with the ball, this weekend Newcastle was in play.

          “Interpretation” is causing these inconsistencies, a penalty kick vs not a penalty.

          PGMOL is untouchable unfortunately, so this malfeasance persists. They run nearly unchecked and unaccountable, and it’s madness.

          Riley has done a disservice to the game.

          Many other sports can properly run a replay system, yet the PGMOL refuses to implement these systems, procedures, and accountability.

          I would bring in outside staff as a start, I would implement a points system for VAR officials to get graded, to reward success and consequences for incompetence.

          Incompetence should see official suspended while they receive training before allowed to return. Like driving school for traffic violations here in the States.

          They should have monthly training to ensure consistency is maintained. Review the failings, correct the behavior, ensuring all calls are uniform.

          As a teacher I have bi-weekly professional development both in Science department and all teaching staff at the school. It involves the latest methods, data reviews, even assessments that we as teachers are graded on.

          We are held accountable by our administration, by the school board, and state licensing agency.

          Imagine that applied to the PGMOL. VAR should be suspended until it can be implemented like other successful reviews in other sports.

  7. For Arsenal to have made this open comments only signifies one thing. PGMOL have privately apologised to them, not sure why they’ve refused to make it public. perhaps we’ll hear the official acceptance of wrong doing from Webb on his Mic’d up show at the int’l break.

        1. With all due respect, you are saying lets see to me and you have made it up. I give up with you Vamos.

  8. Not wanna sound negative here, and I might well have misunderstood the situation but is it really a good thing to come out and back your manager when there is no apparent pressure on him as the results are still very good this season? General observation is that public support of a manager in a crisis most probably ends in said manager’s time being reduced in the club. If it’s simply a backing based on the result of one game, then also seems somewhat overreactionary. Arsenal should focus on their long term commitments and goals this season, these comments invite unnecessary pressure on the manager and the team from the media and the opposition fandoms. We are already being labelled as moaners from some quarters. Now, I hope the team isn’t mentally affected by this and focuses on the next game. (Speaking this completely from work experience and not from a sports fans perspective.)

    Also, focusing on the VAR error might take away from the fact that our offense was, for the lack of a stronger word, ineffective and didn’t provide ideal support to our superb defense and good midfield play. Somewhat opposite to the Man City game.

    1. Well YES Sid , it is a sensible and supportive thing for a club to publicly support a manager who is stating well observed truth, albeit with natural passion and truth. Most non self fooling fans know that VAR is regularly ruining the enjoyment, esp for those who actually attend matches. We can no longer release our joy at a goal, as we are never sure it IS going to be given.

      That HAS to be a depressing and backward experience which sucks the vital joy out of our beloved game. A game where pace and passion is vital, UNTIL, everything stops for God knows how long while some clown at Stockley Park(which ought to be knocked down and made into a supermarket or houses or anything else USEFUL) takes til kingdom come to make an often wrong decision. And never used to ruin matches, week in week out, as it has been doing ever since its ghastly and stupid arrival.

      Any proper club supports its manager and certainly in public and never opposes obvious TRUTH, esp truth so plainly and deeply felt.

      We OUGHT to be thrilled our manager is so HURT by being outrageously cheated We all are hurt too.

      Would you have it any other way than being hurt? Not me. Passion and truth is always paramount. Well said MA, say I!!

      1. I find it remarkable that the words “CHEAT, CHEATS, CHEATING” is now being banded about, when just days ago, it was said that there was no proof of cheating going on!!

        Amazing how it takes Mikel Arteta to rant and rave before some fans change their minds.

  9. Clear evidence now that the ball was in. Camera over the ball shows it was in. So VAR was correct on that one.

    1. Actually Reggie, I’ve just seen a video from above that shows the ball was out.
      For me, the one clear and undisputable piece of evidence is the clear two handed push by Joelington into the back of Gabriel.
      It doesn’t matter if it was a soft,mediun or hard push, once you place your hand(s) on an opposing player in order to gain an advantage, it’s a foul… simple as that.
      No need to discuss whether the ball was in or out, offside or handball and it’s not rocket science either.

      1. Ken
        You are totally right. If Gabriel was the offensive player trying to score, best believe that would have been called a penalty and a penalty kick awarded.

        If Joelington pushed the GK like that, it’s a penalty.

        Hence the problem. Using hands is a foul, yet VAR is interpreting degrees and semantics. Worse yet, arrogantly deciding amount of “force.”

        I thought they enforce the rules of the game, not decide on physics, like force or momentum of using hands. Or predicting the future, IF Gabriel had gotten to the ball, IF he could have headed the ball before the push.

        The more VAR justifies their incompetence, the more disgraceful it is.

      2. I don’t know which one you saw ken but the one in the mainstream, shows the ball not out. The offside, could not be proved or disproved by the technology. The “push” seems 50 50 by all accounts and that is the only thing that could have cancelled the goal. But again, some footballers and some refs are divided on that, so again, not the travesty that is being made out. What people need to remember,without VAR the goal would have stood. With or without VAR, it would have made no difference.

  10. There’s unconfirmed suggestions elsewhere that the incompetent pair in VAR ( Madley & Burt) have alternative employment in The Saudi League, which is owned by Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (SAPIF), which as we all know owns Newcastle.

  11. It won’t ever end as long as the corrupt officials are in charge of any new technology unless the technology is working by itself.

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