Following the 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League, Arsenal legend Ian Wright has heavily criticized referee Michael Oliver's decisions, particularly his controversial handling of the ball before City conceded the first goal. Wright was outspoken in his post-match interview, saying that Oliver's decision in that moment was a "massive mistake" and that it had a direct impact on the direction of the game.
Wright began by expressing his sympathy for City, emphasizing, "I wouldn't want the kind of situation where the first goal was conceded to happen to my team." He further explained that when the referee decides to call the captains over to talk, both players should be given the opportunity to return to their respective positions and make sure that everything is in place before resuming play. According to Wright, this is the basic procedure that should be followed in a match and Oliver was negligent in this regard.
Additionally, Wright mentioned the situation where Trossard received a yellow card for kicking the ball away after the referee blew the whistle. He acknowledged that Trossard's foul play may have been enough to warrant a second yellow card and a sending off, but the point is that the yellow card was not for the foul itself, but for Trossard's inappropriate behavior after the referee's whistle. Wright believes that Trossard may have regretted his impulsive behavior after the game and realized that he lost control in that moment.
Wright, however, was more concerned about Oliver's treatment of Walker throughout the game. He was convinced that Oliver had made a "huge mistake" in his treatment of Walker, and felt that this mistake had affected the fairness of the game to some extent. Wright went so far as to say that at one stage he was expecting Oliver to "find the balance" in some other way to make up for the previous bad call.
While Trossard's foul and subsequent yellow card were also controversial, Wright felt that Oliver's blunder over Walker was more serious. He emphasized that a referee's decisions should be fair, accurate and consistent, and Oliver's performance in this match clearly failed to meet that standard. Wright's comments undoubtedly cast a shadow over Oliver's ability to enforce the law, and sparked a wide-ranging discussion among fans and the media about the standard of refereeing decisions.
