Declan Rice, the star midfielder for Arsenal, was controversially sent off during the Gunners’ intense match against Brighton on Saturday, infuriating supporters. Following a heated altercation with Joel Veltman of Brighton, Rice—who had already been booked in the first half—was given a second yellow card. After a challenge, Rice nudged the ball away, sending Veltman appearing to take a free kick and sending Rice sprawling to the ground. But Rice saw red in spite of this, and many Arsenal fans questioned the referee’s call.
Supporters drew attention to discrepancies, pointing out that João Pedro of Brighton had kicked the ball away before without being penalized. Furthermore, it was argued that Rice’s touch on the ball was inconsequential because it was still rolling, so the freekick wasn’t justified in the first place. Another big source of contention was Veltman’s kick that sent Rice to the ground.
Following the game, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta voiced his dissatisfaction and called attention to the inconsistent officiating: “In the first half, two incidents went unpunished.” The ball then strikes Declan’s leg in a non-critical area, and he is dismissed. The referee is legally authorized to make that call, but he also ought to have called the next one, which would have also resulted in Veltman receiving a red card.
Rice will not play in the vital North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur on September 15 due to his red card. To make matters worse, fresh footage from Arsenal’s “Access All Areas” video seems to depict Veltman’s kick as a purposeful jab at Rice, inciting even more fury among the Gunners supporters.
Rice apologized to his teammates and supporters for his actions, saying, “Getting sent off is never nice, and I feel guilty,” despite the controversy. We managed to win the game, though, thanks to the support of my teammates. I will take this to heart.
Pundits like Micah Richards and Mike Dean have weighed in on the incident, which has generated a lot of discussion. Richards blasted the referee’s call, calling it “one of the worst decisions” he had ever seen, while Dean defended the call, claiming that players had been warned not to delay restarts.
Fans and football experts alike are still feeling strongly about the controversy surrounding Rice’s red card as Arsenal gets ready to play Tottenham without their star midfield player.
