Mikel Arteta: Arsenal boss rips apart embarrassing VAR, fumes at match officials after a decision went against his side in their loss to Newcastle

Mikel Arteta has been left fuming against the controversial VAR decision which went against his side in their defeat against Newcastle United. With this rant, VAR’s controversial decision making abilities are under the scanner once again, few weeks later Liverpool and Tottenham game, where a Luis Diaz game was wrongly ruled out.

Mikel Arteta angered by VAR decision

VAR (Video Assistant Referees) have seem to have taken a toll on the managers this season in Premier League. They have been under the scrutiny since the beginning of this season, and as the season progresses, their controversial decisions seem to take quite ugly turns and might be questionable in the upcoming games. Starting with Liverpool and Tottenham game, a wrong decision had sealed the fate of Klopp’s Reds, as a Luis Diaz goal was mistakenly ruled offside, thus Liverpool losing the game against Spurs. Although referees’ board chairperson Howard Webb had apologized for this mishap and had admitted that to be a “significant human error” from the perspective of Darren England and his VAR team, the controversial decision had seemingly taken a toll on Liverpool players and their manager.

Last night, it was Arsenal boss Arteta’s turn to launch a scathing rant at the officials. The Toons handed the Gunners their first defeat of the season, thus leaving Ange Postecoglou’s side Tottenham Hotspurs to be the only undefeated team in the Premier League. Anthony Gordon was instrumental in scoring the winner, as his goal was followed by a three-fold VAR check-up; for a possible offside, for the ball being out of play or for a foul during the build-up of attack. Although waiting anxiously, in the end, it was all smiles for Howe’s men, leaving Arteta fuming at the officials beyond words.

An absolute “disgrace”

Arteta was seen bursting out against the referees at the post-match conference, expressing his angst, saying about his two-decade long experience has never been this bad. He has even mentioned that he feels sorry about describing Premier League to be the best league in the world, as he was heard saying to Sky Sports, “Praising my players for the way we played, we didn’t deserve to lose the match playing in their ground and we lose because of clear and obvious decisions. It is embarrassing, it is a disgrace, that’s what it is, a disgrace.”

When asked about PGMOL, Arteta mentioned, “We’ve been taking it up (with the PGMOL) for months. There is too much at stake, we put in so many hours. I’m here to represent the football club and to get my team to compete at the highest level, the margins are so small, it’s a disgrace, embarrassing.”

He further added, “It is how I feel. The amount of messages we’ve sent saying this cannot continue. I’m sorry, embarrassing. I’m defending my players when I have to, I defend my job when it is not good enough. I have to be here, to say it now, it is not acceptable, too much at stake. “

“You look at the images and I don’t know how to feel. I am wasting my time, we are wasting our time. I don’t want to be in the hands of people. It is difficult enough to compete against this really good team. The way we play, the way we compete, it is embarrassing, there is too much at stake.”