Gary Neville Criticizes Arsenal’s Statement on Referees as ‘Dangerous’

Former Manchester United player and football pundit, Gary Neville, has once again criticized Arsenal for their recent statement supporting manager Mikel Arteta’s strong criticism of Premier League referees. Neville described the statement as ‘dangerous’ and expressed concerns about the behavior of clubs towards referees.

Arsenal’s Controversial Statement

Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle last Saturday, with Arteta expressing his anger over a controversial goal allowed by VAR. In response, Arsenal released a statement in support of their manager, stating that the Premier League deserved better officiating and that the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) needed to address the standard of refereeing.

This is not the first time a Premier League club has criticized referees through an official statement. Liverpool also did so after a goal was disallowed in their match against Tottenham. However, Neville believes that these statements are detrimental to the sport and put unnecessary pressure on referees.

Neville’s Criticism

During his appearance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Neville expressed his disappointment with Arsenal’s statement. He stated that the club may regret their decision to back Arteta in such a manner. Neville emphasized the importance of clubs behaving better in these circumstances and called for the Premier League and other clubs to protect referees.

He also compared Arsenal’s statement to Liverpool’s previous statement, which mentioned sporting integrity and suggested a replay of the match. Neville considered this suggestion dangerous and believes that clubs should handle these situations more responsibly.

The Future Impact

Neville expressed concern about the long-term consequences of such statements. He believes that Arsenal, as a club with a rich history, should behave better and handle these situations differently. He called for stronger leadership from the Premier League and urged clubs to adhere to the new behavioral charter introduced at the start of the season.

It remains to be seen how Arsenal and other clubs will respond to Neville’s criticism and whether they will reconsider their approach to criticizing referees in official statements.

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