Referee’s Sunderland decisions raises fresh questions over treatment of Arsenal

Referee’s Sunderland decisions raises fresh questions over treatment of Arsenal The figures show a striking difference in how John Brooks applied the rules, adding to concerns over the way Arsenal are being refereed. Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images Arsenal were punished for time-wasting against Sunderland despite the home side taking considerably longer over their throw-ins throughout the match. Referee John Brooks overturned one Arsenal throw after deciding Riccardo Calafiori had taken too long to restart play. Calafiori had taken 18 seconds. That decision looks particularly hard to defend when set against the figures from the rest of the game. According to Scott Willis of Cannon Stats , Arsenal took an average of 12.2 seconds over their throw-ins. Three took longer than 20 seconds and none exceeded 30. Sunderland averaged 22.5 seconds. Willis recorded that when it came to Sunderland’s throws, “12 that took longer than 20 seconds, 5 that took longer than 30 seconds, and 3 that took longer than 40 seconds.” Even removing Sunderland’s long throws, which are not subject to the new five-second rule, the home side still had five throw-ins that took more than 20 seconds. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images Brooks did not once reverse a Sunderland throw and award possession to Arsenal for taking too long. He didn’t even come close to doing it. Narrative refereeing The wider concern is that refereeing around Arsenal increasingly appears to be influenced by narratives that have taken hold around the team, whether or not the evidence supports them. The same problem was apparent in the penalty awarded to Sunderland . Dan Ballard was judged to have been fouled by Ezri Konsa , despite Ballard appearing to roll the Arsenal defender to the ground. The incident was then described by the Match of the Day commentator as though Konsa had taken his eyes off the ball and concentrated solely on Ballard. The footage showed otherwise and both pundits on the show agreed – it was not a penalty. Konsa continued watching the ball until he was rolled by Ballard and then his gaze dropped towards the ground. It was part of a dreadful afternoon from the officiating team. Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images Brooks allowed Martin Odegaard to be stamped on without even awarding a free-kick, while Stuart Atwell on VAR did not intervene over Sunderland’s penalty. Gabriel was even booked for playing peacemaker when Sunderland lost thei s**t. Fourth official Elliott Bell also reported Mikel Arteta for leaving his technical area, leading to the Arsenal manager being booked. Taken together, Arsenal were being judged by one standard and Sunderland by another, and it’s far from the first time we have seen this sort of thing. Calafiori lost possession for taking 18 seconds over a throw, while Sunderland were repeatedly allowed far longer without sanction. That matters because this is no longer an isolated complaint, and hasn’t been for years. This season, the KMI panel has already admitted Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty, with a red card shown , when Bruno Guimaraes was brought down in the area against Aston Villa . Arsenal have therefore been on the wrong end of two massive incorrect penalty decisions in only four Premier League matches. No wonder Arteta is concerned . But that concern is not simply that officials make mistakes. It is that assumptions about Arsenal are shaping what referees think they are seeing, even when the evidence on the pitch points in the opposite direction. Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images