Mikel Arteta’s anger over the decision making of the PGMOL officials during Arsenal’s defeat at Newcastle was plainly obvious from his demeanour in his post-match press conference.
The Spaniard was boiling with rage at the Magpies winning goal from Anthony Gordon, particularly as it came after three separate VAR calls, all of which went in favour of the hosts.
Arteta didn’t hold back from suggesting how sick and embarrassed he felt about the decision which he described as a “disgrace.”
For anyone watching the match live, they had to have felt a degree of sympathy with the north Londoners, and it brought the competency of the officials in charge of the game back into the conversation.
Not long after Liverpool appeared to be calling for a replay after some astonishingly poor officiating by PGMOL’s finest in their game against Tottenham, the narrative in a Premier League match was dictated by poor decisions again.
Though new PGMOL chief, Howard Webb, is doing his level best to be more transparent, including apologising when he feels it’s appropriate and going onto TV shows to explain how decisions were arrived at, his staff are consistently letting him down.
Broadcaster, Richard Keys, never backwards in coming forward with an opinion of his own, has weighed into the argument too.
‘It simply isn’t good enough. It can’t go on,’ he wrote on his personal blog.
‘I repeat what I said recently – our current crop of match officials aren’t fit for purpose. They’re hopeless. And they’re ruining the best league in the world.
‘As you’ve probably guessed – I’m angry today. As angry as Arteta was – and he had every right to be. And Arsenal had every right to defend their man.’