Former Premier League boss calls for rule change in wake of Chelsea vs Arsenal controversy

Former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has called for a change to the handball law after Chelsea were awarded a questionable penalty against Arsenal at the weekend.

William Saliba was penalised after he was deemed to have handled the ball after a VAR review by referee Chris Kavanagh. Pardew, however, feels the decision was harsh, noting that his arms were only splayed out because he was jumping and therefore unbalanced.

The game between the two London rivals ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw. Cole Palmer drew first blood when he scored the penalty, with Mykhailo Mudryk doubling the host’s lead after a cross looped over David Raya. The Gunners weren’t done, however - goals from Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard saw them snatch a point after being behind for most of the game.

What did Alan Pardew say regarding the decision?

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Pardew said: “My view is that unnatural arm movement, I have a problem with that whole concept. Because unnatural arm movement is very difficult to assess. I’ve coached players for 30 years and whenever they’re defending, when they’re throwing their bodies around, when they’re trying to get a block in, when they’re unbalanced and they have to get back on balance, their arms are always in unnatural positions. But it’s not until the ball hits it that it does look unnatural.

“Saliba goes up in that position and he’s literally trying to head the ball and it hits his arm. Okay, as the rule stands it’s a penalty and I get that, I’ve got no problem with that. But it’s the rule that we need to change. Fans are not stupid, they’re smart people. Every Chelsea fan in that stadium was up when it hit his hand, they know, they put the referee under pressure.

“So there’s a lot of questions around that and I’m sure there are lots of theories and lots of other people’s opinions. But that’s my opinion.”