Arsenal legend Ian Wright demands Premier League change after Wolves controversey
The former Gunners striker wants to see a chance in how the Premier League hires referees following the Myles Lewis-Skelly red card.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has called on the Premier League to drastically improve the recruitment of referees following the red card controversy that saw Myles Lewis-Skelly sent off against Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
The 18-year-old brought down Matt Doherty to stop the early stages of a Wolves counter-attack. The foul took place deep in the Gunners' half but Lewis-Skelly was still shown a red card by Michael Oliver in a decision that has set the football world talking.
An explanation from the Premier League Match Centre on social media platform X read: "The referee’s call of a red card for Lewis-Skelly was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed his challenge to have been serious foul play."
Ian Wright demands Premier League change
Arsenal still managed to pick up all three points at Molineux thanks to a Riccardo Calafiori goal but Mikel Arteta admitted that the North London outfit was 'fuming' with the red card. He said: "It is that clear and I will leave it to you guys. I am absolutely fuming. But I will leave it with you, it is that obvious that I don't think my words are going to help."
Gunners legend Wright also shared his disbelief with the sending off, taking to social media platform Instagram to share a video ranting about the quality of officials in the top flight. The 61-year-old said: "Can I just say? It's a joke. Anyone that has ever played the game, and I'm not even talking Premier League - I'm talking five-a-side, Sunday league - knows it's never a red. Yellow card, nobody says a word.
“Time and time again, this level of refereeing, the decisions in the Premier League, the inconsistency, the excuses, the apologies - all of [the referees] just [want to be the] centre of attention, for me. We can't criticise too hard because where are the refs going to come from? Where are we going to get them?
"But, I'm sorry. This is the highest level of football and we do not have the highest level of referees. When will the Premier League bring the best refs into the so-called best league in the world? Because, at the moment, with this level of referees, we're nowhere near it. Nowhere near it."
Mikel Arteta on red card appeal
It is expected that Arsenal will appeal the decision. Speaking after the match, Arteta said: "That's for the club to decide what is the best decision. It's that obvious that maybe we don't even need to [put in an appeal].
"He's really happy now that the team won and found a way to win it. He is very worried about what's coming next because he's strongly feeling that there was nothing to do with the action."
Wright and Arteta join a long list of pundits and former players to criticise the decision. Former PGMOL boss Dean Hackett went as far as to say that Oliver should request not to work with VAR Darren England again after the mishap.
Taking to X, Hackett wrote: "It’s Arsenal and once again they are at the end of a very poor refereeing decision. Michael Oliver – that is not a red card and if I was you I would tell [Howard] Webb that you do not want to work with your VAR Darren England. Between you it was a disaster to send off that Arsenal player."