“Simeone’s behavior was appalling!”
Arteta was “furious” and very critical of the penalty that was disallowed for Eze.
“Penalty drama,” as The Sun put it. England is furious, especially in North London. Mikel Arteta, the British press, and English pundits have all reduced the post-match analysis of Atlético Madrid vs Arsenal (1-1) to a single word: penalty. Or rather, penalties.
Although Eberechi Eze’s spot kick, initially awarded and then overturned, has drawn most of the headlines and criticism, the refereeing display has been widely condemned across the British Isles. Neither Ben White’s alleged handball, nor the VAR intervention, nor any other decision has been well received. Just listen to the Arsenal manager.
“There’s a decision that changes the tie. It’s a clear penalty on Eze, and I don’t understand why VAR intervened and, after watching it 13 times, decided it wasn’t a penalty. I don’t understand it,” Mikel Arteta said on Movistar+. But he did not stop there. In the press conference, he added: “I’m very angry about how they didn’t give the other penalty and how they overturned this one after reviewing it on VAR.” He delivered his final verdict on TNT Sports, stating that “the disallowed second penalty goes against the rules. I don’t understand it. I’m very upset. There’s clear contact. The decision was made, and it cannot be overturned after being reviewed so many times.”
The tone of the man from Gipuzkoa, both in the flash interviews and in the press conference, closely mirrored that of numerous former players speaking during the British television broadcast and on BBC Radio 5 Live. The English tabloids, as ever, added their own flair.
From The Times’ “Arsenal pay the penalty” to The Telegraph’s “It’s a step too VAR”, complete with the subheading “Arsenal robbed after Eze’s penalty overturned”, the wordplay was relentless. There was also the Daily Express’ “Pen and stink”, the Mirror’s “Penalty notice”, and the Daily Star’s “Pens and needles”. A glance at the headlines makes one thing clear: Danny Makkelie’s performance at the Metropolitano has not gone down well in England.
Nor has it online. Alongside claims that “the refereeing controversy ruined Arsenal,” as the Mirror put it, The Times was even more direct: “Not even UEFA’s absurd interpretation of the handball could spoil a decent night for Arsenal.” Critics also included former players, analysts, and Premier League legends.
Steve McManaman, Chris Sutton, Martin Keown, Steven Gerrard, and others all agreed that the referee lacked “personality”. For them, the key issue was not only the eventual decision to overturn the penalty for Hancko’s foul on Eze, but the fact that VAR intervened at all. As several of them put it, “it wasn’t a clear and obvious mistake, and everyone knows it.”
One of the most outspoken voices was former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who posted on X: “I knew he was going to give in! The home team would have got that penalty!” Wright was referring to what he saw as the referee being influenced by pressure from the crowd and, above all, Diego Simeone, who has become a central target of the criticism.
“I thought Diego Simeone and his staff behaved appallingly when the referee went to the monitor,” McManaman said on TNT Sports. “Once the penalty is awarded and there’s contact, it’s not a clear and obvious error, so he shouldn’t be sent to review it. We’re heading down a dead end with VAR. It’s a legitimate penalty, and that should be the end of it.” Steven Gerrard echoed the sentiment: “Referees need the courage to stand by their decisions, but Simeone’s behaviour makes them doubt themselves.”
Meanwhile, Martin Keown argued on Final Score that “with Simeone watching and pacing like that, the referee gave in to the pressure. This isn’t what we wanted VAR for. The referee should have been allowed to make the decision. VAR is interfering too much. There’s clear contact, and it’s a mistake by Hancko.”
Chris Sutton went even further, claiming that “there were two outrageous decisions against Arsenal. I didn’t think it was handball by Ben White because the ball came off his shin first, and Hancko, clumsy as he is, stepped on part of Eze’s foot.”
If Arteta insisted that “these are wrong decisions and they change the course of the tie,” and Sutton believed Arsenal “should have returned to the Emirates in a much stronger position,” it is because, in England, many felt the referee should have shown greater authority. “When you see the referee go to the monitor, you know what’s coming,” Sutton added. “He gave it in real time, and from what we see, there’s contact with Eze’s foot. It should have been a penalty.”
Instead, Makkelie’s final decision left the Gunners without a spot kick and much of the British Isles seething.
“What really makes me furious is how the penalty on Eze could be overturned in that way, when it wasn’t a clear and obvious error. It changed the course of the game. At this level, I’m sorry, but this cannot happen. I cannot accept it,” Arteta said in his press conference, his expression stern. From Madrid, he will return to England and the Premier League still angry, convinced that, under English refereeing, the same incidents would have been judged very differently.
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