Arsenal’s midfield dynamo Declan Rice found himself at the centre of controversy following his dismissal in the 1-1 draw against Brighton. Despite the questionable nature of the decision, Rice offered an apology to his teammates and fans.
“I think from my behalf, that’s my first sending off in my career, so I just wanted to apologise obviously to my teammates, which I’ve done, and to the fans,” Rice stated, as quoted by the Irish Examiner.
This remorse, while demonstrating his professionalism, was arguably unwarranted given the circumstances of his red card.
The incident occurred when Rice lightly touched the ball away as Brighton’s Joel Veltman attempted to take a free-kick. Rice expressed shock at the decision, saying, “I’ve not sprinted back in front of him and smashed the ball away. I’ve touched the ball with the outside of my foot.”
Manager Mikel Arteta highlighted the inconsistency in refereeing, noting that Brighton’s Joao Pedro escaped punishment for a similar offence. This disparity in decision-making has reignited debates about officiating standards in the Premier League.
Just Arsenal Opinion
Rice did not need to apologise, yes he did tap the ball but come on, what happened to common sense in the game?
Some will say rules are rules but based on my observations, most pundits appear to have called the ref’s decision harsh and considering that is the general consensus then Rice apologising is indeed unwarranted.
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This is a rather edited version of his statement on Arsenal,com.Jax
He apologized as he gave the ref the opportunity to send him off. He is just showing the level of professionalism required to play for a side that cannot afford to make mistakes if it is to won the league.
Very edited version of Rice’s statement
Why were parts left out in the article? I’m just curious, because his missing comments provide the context of why he apologized to his teammates and fans.
Without those comments and context, it indeed makes one wonder why he apologized.
This act was simply an expression of the referes’s premeditated intentions: a man clearly unhappy with Arsenal’s progress in the game.
Remember, Kavanaugh is a human before being a referee. No matter how objective they strive to be, their emotions will sometimes over-ride the intended objective direction of their acts. This is clearly seen in his inability to punish Pedro’s act but to spontaneously sanction Rice with the supreme punishment.
He knows this will not only change the trajectory of the game but that Rice will also miss the next game. His intention is clearly to frustrate Arsenal’s smooth start to the season.
😳
There are 3 people who don’t come out of this incident very well (in different degrees) so if by the letter of the law Rice broke a rule and got found out, then there is a penalty to pay.
What that penalty is comes down to the consistency of the referee. In this case Kavanagh wasn’t consistent throughout the match. The Pedro example only exacerbates the situation. If he can get away without any censure at all – apparently not a word from the referee- then I can understand Arteta’s frustration that Rice was given a second yellow for something with a lesser impact – also with the very real belief from Rice that as one went unpunished he’d be let off too.
Veltman clearly was being crafty and it’s not uncommon to try and get another player sent off but it becomes a rather hollow victory when all is said and done.
The Sky Sports App has a very informative analysis of why the Rice sending off was flawed and is worth a read.
What really disappoints me is that many referees seem pathologically incapable of using common sense. Some would argue that they are corrupt. That’s too strong a word but at times it makes me wonder what planet they on. Unconscious bias springs to mind – whether towards a particular player or team.
The decision against Rice won’t be the last this season that has such important consequences to clubs and players.
Yes, there is a long way to go this season but could it be defined by this decision or will it be an off day in April or May?
Great comment, Sue. Common sense is spot on. Legally, you should only cross the road at designated spots, but countless times in a day, police will witness perfectly reasonable instances of people violating this rule and ignore it. Common sense and consistency. Nobody on the planet watching would’ve expected a second yellow there, and given the “common” in “common sense” is what most people would deem sensical, it was a hugely controversial and impactful decision. Mad.
SueP
Am in agreement with SueP except on one important fact.
Am sorry but you have to call a spade a spade, the lady is either pregnant or she isn’t.
The referee inconsistentcey was criminal therefore he’s a curupt official.
It is as simple as that.
The same inconpetant ref overlooked a similiar incident AGAINST us. 2 seasons back. Xhaka had a free..some ijut from west ham blocked a quick restart BUT nothing happened
I suppose, the cynical would say this villager kavanaugh who clearly has an anti Arsenal agenda learned and did the technical this time?
A lot of good points, as usual SueP – what I don’t understand is why Rice is given a pass for also trying to be crafty. If that had been another player, people would have noticed him go across to the ball and toe it away, trying to make it look like an accident. It’s the sort of thing fabregas would do to upset opponents – I don’t mind that sort of thing, but when you get caught out, you have to put your hands up, especially when already on a yellow. I think we’re also seeing a lot of unconscious bias in favour of Rice, who is clearly a loved figure by many inside and outside of arsenal – had that been Thomas partey or even martinelli, I think we’d be hearing a different narrative.
(And I think rice did put his hands up after the game to be fair to him)
That’s not what happened at all. Rice was walking away from the foul area and Veltman kicked the ball into him (2 meters away from where the free-kick needed to be taken) and it was only after that that he toe poked it away. I doubt he even knew at that point Veltman was pretending to kick it and he was in danger of being kicked himself.
Veltman kicked the ball gently as he stood up and it knocked into rice – was veltman trying to steal a couple of yards? Quite possibly. Rice then wandered towards him and cheekily poked it away just as veltman was about to strike it. In terms of the offence he was carded for, it doesn’t really matter if he knew veltman was about to kick it (though he clearly did and timed it with the swing), he kicked it away when he shouldn’t have. It looked to me like an impulsive action – just a bit silly. It was a mistake.
Nice reading Sue, behind everything.
The referees are inconsistent some more than others, are they incompetent or could it be something else?
Harsh refereeing? My eyes have finally been opened and rather than me usually calling it inept, I now know it’s downright criminal. Yet again a ref from the greater Manchester area blatantly shows his bias. Something needs to give because if it doesn’t the game is slowly being bought into disrepute and won’t be worth watching by honest fair thinking fans.
Our wonderful game is being ruined by rules which are simply not fit for purpose.The hand ball rule in particular is a complete joke and must have been introduced by a hierarchy who have never played the game at a decent level.Rice need not apologise for being another victim of officialdom gone mad.Sad to say football can no longer be described as a contact sport but a fresh air extension of a computer game..
Agree Grandad, I started watched football in the 60’s and 70’s and it was far more enjoyable than it is now. I saw on tv the other day a player get touched on his leg and he went down screaming, flopping around on the floor like a fish out of water, if you are truly injured you don’t do that. The simulation and playacting is ruining football for me.
More and more players are going to acting class part-time. Pretty disgusting development. For those who defend it by saying it’s part of the game and justified if it gives your team an advantage by fooling the ref, I say no, it’s a blatant attempt at cheating not all that much dissimilar to those trying to get penalties by diving in the box.
Then you don’t remember Frannie Lee? 😃
At least I’ve seen several calls for handball waived off this season because I believe they are supposed to be focusing more on intent now (finally). Still subjective but at least it makes more sense than these automatic ridiculous letter of the law rulings.
In my view there is nothing particularly wrong with this rule.
The laws/rules simply need to be applied sensibly and consistently. It is also important for referees to consider the spirit and integrity of the game.
This was an irresponsible decision by the referee.
This kind of inconsistentcey is entrenched in the premier league by a few officials, it is going to take a lot to weed out the bad apples.
Am afraid 😨
It would be good and informative if the referee could come on tv and explain why he chose to ignore the Pedro incident, that would surely stop all the criticism he is getting, or confirm that he made a mistake. In all the explanations that referee bodies have said to say that the Rice decision was correct not one of them mentioned the Pedro incident. Funny that.
I don’t think anyone denies that Pedro should have been booked and that the inconsistency is bad. Understand the frustration, but two wrongs don’t make a right.
Do the real experts share the opinions of our fantasy experts 🤫
Argue from authority when it suits you, but not when it doesn’t?
I don’t support inconsistent referees who have a subjective understanding of the rules or a pathetic need to make a statement about minor incidents. At the same time, they do almost nothing when players like Saka and Odegaard get bulldozer treatment on the pitch, etc.
Kavanaugh is a clearly corrupt and bias Ref with a prejudiced and malicious intents towards Arsenal’s progress.
Besides ignoring the Joao Pedro incident similar to Rice’s 1st Half, there was a clear handball by a Brighton defender in their very 18-Yard box and the eventual resultant P.K calls by Arsenal Players which He brazenly looked away from.
We need to sign a public petition to wean out such a bad egg.