Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has criticized current referees in the league after watching Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.
Arsenal have been the only team this season to have had two players sent off for kicking the ball away. Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard were both sent off after kicking the ball away in the Gunners games against Brighton and Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta has been furious with the refereeing this season, and even suggested that he will tell his players to play without the ball to avoid being booked.
The most recent incident against Arsenal was on Saturday, when the referee failed to send off Wilfried Ndidi after he kicked the ball away after a foul, delaying the restart.
Dermot Gallagher defended his colleague for that decision:
“He doesn’t stop or delay the restart. There’s no one there who can possibly take a free-kick. Saka’s on the floor, can’t take it. There’s not an Arsenal player anywhere near it. If you want players yellow carded for that we’re going to have a lot of players sat in the stands this season.”
This submission by Gallagher was ridiculous because the incident was clearly similar to what Trossard got sent off for against Man City.
What Mark Clattenburg said about Premier League referees
Clattenburg was on the panel during the Arsenal game on Tuesday night. He praised the work of Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic who was in charge of the game.
Vincic was the referee in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. He showed why he was selected for that final with an impressive refereeing display, which Mark Clattenburg praised.
“He’s got the respect of the players, he’s experienced. I think a lot of the Premier League referees can watch this tonight to see how they can find balance. He’s got the authority, and if you get the respect of the players, it makes your life easier on the field of play.” He said on Amazon Prime’s coverage of the game.
Former Premier League referee breaks down Calafiori handball decision
In the 77th minute of the game, PSG appealed for a penalty after the ball came off Riccardo Calafiori’s hand in the penalty box. The referee did not give the penalty, and it was cleared by VAR.
Mark Clattenburg analysed and explained why it was not a penalty:
“It’s interesting because it’s come off his teammate. Because it’s come off his teammate, it’s hit his arm. He doesn’t mean to handle the ball. His arm is outstretched, but I doubt – because it’s come off his own teammate – that this will result in a penalty kick. “
