Arsenal FC Debate: The Referees Too Have Played a Part in Arsenal's Demise

Seeing the headline, I am fairly sure that many Arsenal fans would think this is another article trying to shift the blame from Arsene Wenger and the squad to the referees and finding an excuse, but I feel I make a legitimate claim when I state that the referees too have played a role in triggering Arsenal’s stunning collapse that has left them in fourth with just the game to go.

There is no doubt that Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal side too are to blame for their recent form but in recent weeks they have come under heavy fire, with some being well deserved and with the rest going a bit too far.

It would be extremely unfair to pinpoint Arsenal’s collapse solely on poor refereeing decisions because there have been results like the 2-2 draw with West Brom, the 0-0 with Blackburn where the Gunners have struggled to score and finish their chances.

But that does not mean that it has been solely the fault of the players and the managers. The referees too have made several blunders this season that have cost Arsenal especially, very dearly. I am not implying that had there been better refereeing, that the Gunners would have won the league, but they would be in a much more comfortable position and would not be involved in the fight for the third.

Many will be quick to point out that every team suffers from poor decision making, but I strongly feel that no team, at least in the top half as had the amount of misfortune the Gunners have had to endure this season. The basis of this is that while most teams do get a fair share of decisions against them, they also get a good deal of questionable decisions in their favor.

While Manchester United fans might want to deny it, the Red Devils have got plenty of questionable decisions in their favor which more than makes up for the odd decision that goes against them. Even Chelsea have had plenty of luck go their way as they were extremely lucky in certain games, especially in the game against Tottenham as they won thanks to two highly controversial goals that should never have stood in the first place.

But there have hardly been any such refereeing decisions that have dramatically changed the course of the match in favor of the Gunners. Whereas, on the contrary, there have been several decisions that have affected Arsenal severely.

When we, Arsenal fans complain about the decisions that go against the club, we are often accused of making excuses and very often this complaint is used to mask some of the genuine mistakes that have cost the Gunners dearly.

The best example can be found in recent weeks. It is true that the Gunners have performed poorly but there have been matches like the ones against Sunderland, Barcelona and Aston Villa.

When these games are brought into discussion, critics often state that the Gunners need to start overcoming adversity and have to learn to win despite some bad luck. Little do they realize that there is nothing you can do if you score a legitimate goal, only for it to be chalked off by the referee.

This has been the case in Arsenal’s matches against Aston Villa and Sunderland, two matches in which the referee strangely disallowed Arsenal goals when they were clearly goals.

All these decisions put together might have earned the Gunners an extra eight to 10 points which could have made their live very comfortable.

Arsenal have been the victims not just in the league but also in the UEFA Champions League where some questionable refereeing saw them crash out of the competition in the knockout stages itself.

Here is a look at some of the matches in which the Gunners were victims of dubious refereeing decisions and their effects:

Arsenal vs. Wigan Athletic (Final Score: 2-2)

Arsenal had just defeated the defending champions Chelsea 3-1 a few days back when they took on Wigan Athletic.

But Wigan brought Arsenal back to earth with a 2-2 draw at the DW Stadium thanks to a couple of key decisions that went against Arsenal.

The first incident was in the 17th minute when Laurent Koscielny was adjudged to have tripped Charles N’Zogbia in the box and Wigan were awarded a penalty.

Ben Watson promptly converted it to give Wigan a surprising lead.

Though Koscielny flicked out a foot, he was withdrawing it by the time the midfielder went past him. Replays cast doubt there was contact but referee Lee Probert pointed to the spot. It seemed harsh on Arsenal and there was only minimal contact. It was truly a soft penalty, and the Gunners were hard pressed to find themselves down 1-0.

The second incident was in the 85th minute when Samir Nasri’s free kick was handled by the raised hands of a Wigan defender. The referee waved play on but the hand ball was reminiscent to Fabregas’ handball against Tottenham and in that case a penalty was awarded to Tottenham.

Since the decision made in the Spurs game was spot on, by the same logic, the Gunners too should have been awarded a penalty. But this was not the case as the inconsistency of the refereeing was once again exposed.

Had these two decisions gone the way of Arsenal, it is most likely that Arsenal would have won the match and increased the pressure on Manchester United.

Arsenal vs Newcastle (Final Score: 4-4)

Many call it the greatest comeback in Premier League history. Sure, it was a great comeback, but there is no denying that there were several dubious calls in the match, many that went against the Gunners.

Arsenal were leading 4-0 at halftime, but they threw it away and allowed Newcastle to draw the game and had referee Phil Dowd made the right decisions, the result would have been much different.

He made several mistakes throughout the course of the game that ultimately cost Arsenal all three points.

First of all, he should have sent off Joey Barton for a challenge on Arshavin in the first half.

In the second half, Abou Diaby was sent off after he reacted violently to a reckless Barton challenge. He was right in sending Diaby off for shoving his opponents, but he should have also sent Barton off.

That was the second incident that could have resulted in the sending off of Barton. Had Barton been sent off, the game would have been 10 against 10 and then there is no doubt that the Gunners wouldn’t have thrown away the game.

Then he gives Newcastle a soft penalty and Barton promptly scores.

When Szczesny holds onto the ball, Nolan wrestles him off the ball very similar to what Diaby did. What does Dowd do? He gives both Nolan only a yellow and also for some reason gives Szczesny a yellow card. Since Diaby got sent off for a very similar offense, then so should have Nolan.

But the worst of the lot came in the 82nd minute when he awarded Newcastle a penalty when there was no contact what so ever.

Arsenal too must take blame for that shocking implosion, but had Dowd made the right decisions, Arsenal could have walked out with all three points. 

Arsenal vs. Sunderland (Final Score: 0-0)

Had the referee been watching the match everyone else had been watching at the Emirates, Arsenal would have most probably scored two goals.

But the referee had other plans as he made two truly poor calls and pulled up Arsenal several times for the smallest reasons.

Make no mistake about it: Arsenal deserved to win and they would have had it not been for the poor refereeing decisions.

First, it was the penalty that was not given. Bramble, who actually had a great game on the day, initially tugged the arm of Arshavin and shoved the Russian just as he was about to shoot and since he clearly denied the Russian a clear goal scoring opportunity, he should have been sent off.

The second pathetic decision was when the linesman ruled Arshavin offside when he was very much onside.

These decisions could have meant a lot to the Gunners since it was their last game before taking on Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League tie. Also it was the first league game since their shock 2-1 loss to Birmingham in the Carling Cup final.

A hard fought win would have been a good remedy and would have given the Gunners some much needed confidence ahead of a crucial Champions League tie in which they were ultimately beaten thanks to the referee again.

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa (Final Score: 1-2)

Arsenal’s form had been shocking off late but it was the referee who had another shocking outing, denying the Gunners a clear penalty and ludicrously denying the Gunners a goal when Chamakh slotted home a header.

After Ramsey was sent clear through on goal, it looked obvious for everyone watching the match that Richard Dunne had brought down Ramsey in the box, which should have resulted in a penalty and a straight red card for the defender. Instead, the referee, who once again happened to be watching some other game, waved play on and Aston Villa went into the break up 2-0.

The standard of refereeing in the league has come under severe criticism in recent weeks, and this outing will do nothing to decrease the increasing pressure on referees.

Arsenal fans thought they had grabbed a lifeline when Chamakh slotted home a header, but the referee once again made a shocking decision, adjudging the Moroccan to have fouled an Aston Villa player in the buildup to the goal.

Both decisions ultimately cost the Gunners and left them with a solid chance of finishing fourth.

Had these decisions gone the Gunners' way, they could have ended up winning the game and they would still be third in the league, with just a game to go and with an advantage of two points.

But these poor decisions mean that the Gunners will have to qualify for the Champions League via the playoffs.

Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspurs (Final Score: 3-3)

This was one game in which the refereeing error flew under the radar thanks to the Gunners throwing away a three goal lead.

There was one incident in which van Persie had a goal chalked off because it was deemed to be offside. But further replays showed that he was just onside and the goal should have stood. At that point the match was tantalizingly poised at 3-2 in favor of the Gunners and had this decision gone their way they were looking at a 4-2 lead which could have been decisive for the Gunners in winning that match.

I believe that the Gunners should have got at least nine more points which they lost due to shocking refereeing. Then there are the other clashes against Sunderland and Liverpool which involved one or two controversial moments. While the decisions have gone against them, there are hardly any decisions that have gone in the favor of the Gunners to such an extent as these ones did.

I may sound like I am making excuses and I am whining, but I strongly feel that Arsenal’s poor run of form has deflected all the blame onto the team and the manager when the referees with their poor decision making too have effected the game.