Review panel upholds Declan Rice red card as correct decision

In a review that has stirred significant debate, the Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel has upheld the decision to send off Arsenal‘s Declan Rice during their 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, declaring the red card to be a correct call.

The controversial decision came in the 51st minute of the match when Rice, having already been booked, received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away after a challenge with Brighton defender Joel Veltman.

This decision, deemed to delay the restart, led to his dismissal and ignited frustration among Arsenal supporters.

According to the KMI panel’s assessment, Rice’s action was “clear, deliberate and impactful,” which is obvious nonsense and it was, at best, just one of those things.

The panel asserted that the referee, Chris Kavanagh, was correct to issue a second yellow card, given that Rice had earlier been cautioned for a foul on Veltman. “Rice knows what he’s doing – it’s a gentle touch, but once the referee sees it he has no choice,” the panel stated in its review.

However, the decision has been met with criticism, particularly regarding the consistency of Kavanagh’s application of the rules.

Former referee Mark Halsey voiced his disapproval after the initial incident, suggesting that Kavanagh’s decision was excessively harsh. “The ball was rolling when Brighton’s Joel Veltman took the free-kick, so the restart would not have taken place as it would have been wrong in Law,” Halsey explained.

He argued that the rule on delaying restarts was inapplicable in this instance and criticised Kavanagh for not managing the situation better by issuing a final warning instead of a red card.

Halsey further noted that the referee did not apply the same standard when Brighton players, including Joao Pedro, kicked the ball away. In the first half, Pedro had kicked the ball back onto the pitch to delay an Arsenal throw-in, a move that went unpunished. “Kavanagh went looking for trouble and he found it,” Halsey said. “He should have managed the situation better by speaking to both players.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta highlighted this inconsistency in his post-match comments. “In the first half, there were two incidents and nothing happened,” Arteta said. “By law, you want to do it but you didn’t do it in the first half.”

Bukayo Saka echoed these sentiments, pointing out that Pedro’s action was similar, if not worse than Rice’s but was overlooked by the referee. “We just want some consistency,” Saka said. “Joao Pedro booted the ball halfway across the pitch in the first half and got nothing for it. Dec got the slightest touch and was sent off.”

Rice’s dismissal came shortly after Arsenal had taken a 1-0 lead through Kai Havertz‘s goal, assisted by Saka. Despite the numerical advantage, Brighton managed to equalise, but they could not secure a win in the remaining forty minutes.

The red card means Rice will miss Arsenal‘s next match, the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, following the international break. The incident has sparked debate on the fairness of officiating standards and the need for consistency in match decisions which is unlikely to subside this weekend.

Jarred Gillet will take charge of his second Arsenal game of the season in what will be only the Gunner’s fourth match. You might remember him from the Wolves match when he didn’t even so much as book Yerson Mosquera for choking Kai Havertz and then sticking his fingers up Gabriel Jesus’s bum.