Pep Guardiola defends Mikel Arteta VAR rant with 'confusion' claim after Newcastle vs Arsenal
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted there is confusion around the officiating across the football world after VAR and PGMOL came under fire once again this weekend.
After Manchester United saw a goal controversially disallowed at Fulham, VAR came under scrutiny once again when Sheffield United were awarded a penalty against Wolves for minimal contact from Fabio Silva.
The officiating in the Premier League took another hit when Arsenal fell to their first league defeat of the season at Newcastle. Anthony Gordon's goal was the difference after three VAR checks — the first to determine whether the ball had gone out of play, the second to check a possible foul on Gabriel Magalhaes and the third to ensure Gordon was not offside.
VAR's decision not to overrule the goal resulted in Mikel Arteta going on a fiery rant in the St James' Park media room. «We have to talk about the result because you have to talk about how the hell this goal stand ups and it’s incredible,» said the Arsenal boss. «I feel embarrassed but I have to be the one now coming here to try to defend the club and please ask for help, because it's an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed; it’s an absolute disgrace.»
«Because it's not a goal for many reasons; it’s not a goal, for more than one reason at least,» Arteta replied. «It’s not a goal and it's too much at stake here. We put in so much effort, it’s so difficult to compete at this level, and it's an absolute disgrace.
»Again, I feel embarrassed having more than 20 years in this country, and this is nowhere near the level to describe this as the best league in the world. I am sorry."
Jurgen Klopp knows how Mikel Arteta is feeling with Arsenal and Liverpool similarities clear
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