The EPL panel, however, voted 3–2 in support of VAR Stuart Attwell’s decision not to intervene, insisting that the referee didn’t make a clear and obvious error.
By Kehinde Okeowo
A Premier League (EPL) panel has vindicated Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta following his furious reaction to the penalty awarded against his team in a league match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
According to ESPN, the panel—made up of three former players and coaches, one EPL representative, and one representative from PGMOL—unanimously ruled that the spot-kick awarded by the referee was incorrect.
Referee John Brooks awarded Sunderland a penalty after penalising Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa for holding Dan Ballard during a corner in the 12 September meeting.
Although Gunners goalkeeper David Raya saved Enzo Le Fée’s resulting spot-kick and Arsenal went on to win 2–0, Arteta strongly contested the decision during his post-match press conference.
He said: “I watched it 20 times and I cannot find a way to understand how they’d think to give a penalty in that situation or why VAR had to intervene.
“At this level, with all the work we put in, this cannot happen.”
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Following the manager’s comments, the North London club subsequently contacted PGMOL to seek an explanation.
Wading into the saga, the EPL’s five-person Key Match Incidents panel unanimously disagreed with the on-field decision.
“Although it was a very untidy challenge in which Konsa initially had arms around Ballard, Ballard engages in a holding action which pulls Konsa onto him so they both fall to the floor,” the verdict read.
However, the EPL panel voted 3–2 in support of VAR Stuart Attwell’s decision not to intervene, saying the incident did not amount to a clear and obvious error.
