An outspoken pundit has backed up Spanish boss Mikel Arteta after his comments against PGMOL amid the Newcastle vs Arsenal drama.
I don’t mean to go on and on about the Arsenal match. After all, we have bigger fish to fry, as we play in the Champions League tonight in a must-win game. However, there has been something pretty remarkable to come out of the whole saga, so I wanted to touch base on that.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have seen the explosive rant which Mikel Arteta broke out into after the Newcastle vs Arsenal game. The Spanish boss, who is no stranger to voicing how he feels when referees are involved, said it was a disgrace that Anthony Gordon was given the goal which granted Newcastle the win.
This has obviously received a tonne of backlash. Taking off my Newcastle-tinted goggles, I understand how frustrating it is that nobody likes PGMOL, yet nobody likes when PGMOL are criticised. The system must change and admittedly, we have had many decisions go against us.
Richard Keys backs up Mikel Arteta amid Newcastle vs Arsenal drama
While I do think the goal should have stood and Newcastle deserved to win the game as the dominant team throughout, I respect Mikel Arteta’s freedom of speech, and managers should be encouraged to speak out when they feel hard done by. I would expect Eddie Howe to do the same.
This is a message which has been echoed by controversial figure Richard Keys. Exploding into an X-rated rant, the pundit has described himself as angry – just like Mikel Arteta was – that PGMOL is put into question every single week. As quoted by Football London, Keys had the following to say:
"“Here we are again. Every f****ng week. It simply isn’t good enough. It can’t go on. 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.If we truly believe in free speech why can’t a coach tell us how he feels post match? Fans want to hear what their man is thinking. Free speech – not irresponsible speech, not hate speech. We want to hear genuine opinions, not diluted platitudes.” – Football London"
There is plenty of discourse around the drama. Everybody has their own opinion on whether the result was fair and I’ve shared my view that the result was very fair. However, this opinion from Richard Keys is hard to disagree with. We need to stop ridiculing managers for speaking out against a system which is ruining football.
What do you make of Richard Keys’ take on the Newcastle vs Arsenal drama?