A duo of football analysts insists that Arsenal of England’s Nigerian-born dazzler, Eberechi Eze was denied a clear penalty call during Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg away to Atletico Madrid of Spain.
Sports247 reports that, with the game tersely tilted at 1-1 into the last minute of play, Eze went to ground after a stamp on his foot by David Hancko, but Video Assistant Referee (VAR) overruled a penalty awarded.
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Amazingly, after the Dutch ref, Danny Makkelie gave a spot kick on the field, he was directed to the pitch-side monitor to cross-check his decision, following which he overturned his call.
While back-to-form Ademola Lookman and his Atleti pals celebrated the decision, Eze and fellow-Nigerian-born winger, Noni Madueke were left in total shock, along with their Arsenal pals.
Incidentally, the ref’s changed decision came after 45 seconds of checking and 13 replays, much to the dismay of Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta, whose anger was shared by two England ex-internationals, Martin Keown and Steve McManaman.
Both former players, who served as analysts during the game in Madrid, were aghast with the overruled call, as they felt Eze’s foot was stamped on in the box, and they equally slammed the reaction of Atletico’s coach, Diego Simeone.
When the decision was overturned, Simeone ran aggressively out of his coaching line over to his players to encourage them, but McManaman, a former midfielder with Real Madrid of Spain, felt the gaffer’s actions were inappropriate.
McManaman added during commentaries on TNT Sports, “We are talking about VAR again. I absolutely hate it – hate, hate, hate it. It spoils the game. Once he gives it and there’s contact, he shouldn’t go back to re-ref it again.
“It baffles me, but I thought he had an awful game. I look at the behaviour of Diego Simeone and his assistants when the referee was trying to come over to the monitor – it was atrocious. The constant haranguing of the fourth official.”
On his part, Keown, a former Arsenal defender, said: ‘I simply don’t think it was clear and obvious. The referee should be able to referee the game. The VAR has got too involved. It is not what we wanted with VAR. It’s not part of the protocol.
“Simeone though, his actions on the sidelines … the drama that he creates and the scenes. The referee, in the end, buckled under the pressure and didn’t stand by his decision. I don’t think he should have even been made to go to the screen.”
A former referee, Mark Halsey posited, “We’ve seen another controversial penalty given and then not given after VAR intervention. Now for me, in real time, I thought it was a clear foul by Hanko on Eze. Yes, clumsy.
“Yes, there was contact. Referee Danny Makkelie gives it in real time and then VAR recommends review. Now was it a clear and obvious error by the match referee? In my opinion, no. Yes, there was contact.”
