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Gary Neville has criticised Mikel Arteta for fanning the flames and influencing Arsenal fans to throw accusations of corruption at Premier League officials.
Former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville has openly criticized Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for allegedly influencing Arsenal supporters to throw accusations of corruption at Premier League officials. Neville’s comments come in the wake of a controversial incident during Arsenal’s recent match against Wolves, where Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off by referee Michael Oliver.
The incident occurred when Lewis-Skelly was shown a red card for a challenge on Wolves’ Matt Doherty. The decision, which was upheld by the video assistant referee (VAR), left Arteta “absolutely fuming” and led to wild accusations of corruption from some corners of the Arsenal fanbase. The red card was later overturned, but the damage had already been done, with police investigating “abhorrent attacks” on Oliver and his family.
Neville, speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap, expressed his concerns about Arteta’s post-match comments and their impact on fans. “They [Arsenal fans] use language like corruption, which means they think he’s getting paid and bought off – which is obviously not the case,” Neville said. He added that Arsenal’s approach to handling referee decisions has been to “inflame the situation” rather than calm it down, a tactic he believes has been in place for the past 12 months.
Neville drew parallels between Arsenal’s current approach and the “siege mentality” that existed at Manchester United during his playing days. However, he pointed out that the difference now is the influence of social media, which amplifies accusations and can lead to serious consequences. “You now have a social media wave now which goes towards [allegations of] corruption and cheating,” Neville said.
The former defender also emphasized the professionalism of referees like Michael Oliver, who he described as “the best referee in the country.” Neville expressed his disdain for the idea that referees could be swayed by external pressures, stating that Oliver would never be influenced in such a manner.
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