Head of officials Mike Riley has revealed that referee Mike Dean has admitted fault on his part for the penalty which cost Arsenal all three points against West Bromwich Albion last week.
The Baggies were wrongly awarded an 88th minute penalty which earned them a 1-1 draw and deny us a much-needed win, and manager Arsene Wenger reacted angrily, and rightly so.
The Gunners boss is now under a three-match ban and having to pay a £40K fine for his comments, but interestingly the manager has supposedly held his hands up for his mistake.
“You award the penalty because what you have seen on the pitch is the arm coming towards the ball,” Riley said.
“What is handball can look to you on the field of play if you get one look at it. But immediately there is evidence from another camera angle which shows actually the opposite happened. That is the safety net of the VAR.
“I think Chambers would have been overturned. The question you ask is, is it an act of deliberate handball? And the reverse angle shows him trying to bring his arm out of the way of the ball, rather than the reverse.
“I know Mike would have overturned it. He messages people, and he’s a very honest guy, and he goes, ‘I got it wrong.’ He knows he did.”
Our manager is being persecuted for his actions, but surely if there was clearly a huge fault in the decision then there should be some leniency.
Does Dean need to make a public apology? Should referees be penalised for making such mistakes?
Pat J