Petty ref decision sends Declan Rice off in Arsenal-Brighton tie

Arsenal failed to keep their winning streak going to start the Premier League season on Saturday as Declan Rice was sent off against Brighton.

The Gunners faced a tough test against Brighton in the early English top-flight match of the weekend. The Seagulls, like Arsenal, began the current campaign with a pair of victories.

While many soccer fans were looking forward to the fixture, the game was unfortunately marred by an awful refereeing decision.

The Gunners took a lead in the matchup minutes before halftime thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz. Four minutes after the opening goal, star midfielder Declan Rice picked up a yellow card for a late tackle. This particular incident would go on to play a part in the biggest moment of the game.

Minutes after the halftime break, match referee Chris Kavanagh elected to show Rice a second yellow card for an incident with Joel Veltman. The Gunners star fouled Veltman, which gave Brighton a free kick.

As Rice began to walk away from the spot, he nudged the ball away from Veltman.

The Brighton defender then subsequently kicked Rice in the legs. Veltman, despite the clash, avoided any punishment. The bizarre call undoubtedly changed the game. Brighton eventually fought back with the man advantage to take a point back to the South Coast.

Refereeing inconsistency ruins much-anticipated game

Some fans and pundits may point out that players can’t kick the ball away ahead of a free kick. This can be technically true. These instances are, however, seen weekly in the Premier League without any punishment.

Kavanagh also elected not to caution Brighton forward Joao Pedro earlier in the game for a much worse example.

After the ball ran out of play in the first half, the Brazilian emphatically kicked the ball away and back onto the pitch 30 yards away.

The move blocked Arsenal from being able to take a quick thrown-in. NBC Sports analyst Tim Howard commented after the match that giving Pedro a yellow card would have been harsh but that means that Kavanagh also should not have sent off Rice for a lesser infraction.

On top of the inconsistency in officiating, the ball was also still moving when Veltman tried to take the free kick. Under the law, the ball can’t be in motion when a free kick is taken. Because of this, Veltman’s kick would have had to be retaken even if Rice was in the way.

Lack of penalties for referees only compounds problems

After the game, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and star winger Bukayo Saka both asked for consistency in officiating. The duo pointed to the previous unpunished incident involving Pedro. Arteta felt that he was not given an explanation on the bizarre situation.

“We started the game really well,” Arteta told TNT Sports.

“We scored the goal, 1-0. Then we started the second half really good but there was the decision that changes the game completely. If [bookings] happen throughout the game in a consistent way it is fine but it didn’t. It is the inconsistency.”

Inconsistency in officiating has haunted the Premier League in recent years. Despite being the most popular soccer league in the world, refereeing in England is undeniably subpar. Officials in charge also do not punish referees appropriately.

At worst, match officials get sent down to the second or third tier of the pyramid for a game and then come right back to the Premier League. The lack of penalties for referees makes situations such as the Rice incident even worse.

Kavanagh’s ineptness not only affected Saturday’s game but also an even bigger matchup in two weeks.

Arsenal will next travel to face bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur after the international break.

Rice is suspended for the fixture due to the sending-off. The Gunners most likely will also be without fellow central midfielder Mikel Merino as well. The Spaniard suffered a freak shoulder injury in his first training session with his new team.

Photo credits: IMAGO / Sportsphoto