Fans, managers can hate on VAR, but David Raya in...
Key takeaways
- Just ask Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
- The slow-motion replay showed no contact by Hancko, with Eze falling to the ground in anticipation of a foul, but Arteta said he was "fuming" because Makkelie watched it "13 times" before making his decision.
- Still, Makkelie got there in the end, with the whole process taking three minutes and 20 seconds.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Just ask Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. One minute he rages against it and the next he is celebrating the video assistant referee's call to award a foul on goalkeeper David Raya in the Gunners' 1-0 win at West Ham United on Sunday, which helped put his team with touching distance of the Premier League title.
If you ever wanted an example of the hypocrisy toward VAR -- a system that was introduced almost a decade ago not to end controversy in the game, but to make sure the big decisions are ultimately correct -- Arteta is the embodiment of how football wants it both ways.
Less than two weeks ago, Arteta was "incredibly fuming" over referee Danny Makkelie's decision to overturn his initial penalty decision in Arsenal's UEFA Champions League semifinal first-leg clash against Atlético Madrid because, after a VAR review, the Dutch official accepted that Atlético defender Dávid Hancko did not foul Eberechi Eze in the penalty area.