The Arsenal boss became the first victim of a newly-introduced rule, receiving a yellow card by referee Stuart Attwell during the Community Shield face-off against Manchester City.
This isn’t the first time Attwell has been at the centre of debate involving Arsenal.
Fans may recall the New Year’s Day 2022 fixture, where a clear penalty for Arsenal was dismissed by the same referee.
The match also saw Gabriel Magalhaes receiving his marching orders, painting a picture of inconsistency that Arsenal followers feel has plagued their team’s interaction with officials.
The spotlight on Arteta’s booking during the Community Shield intensified after the Arsenal manager voiced his disappointment regarding the decision not to book Manchester City’s Rodri for a clear pull back on Kai Havertz.
Expressing his feelings animatedly, Arteta was seen signalling an imaginary yellow card to the fourth official. Rather than reconsider the decision on Rodri, Attwell chose to book the impassioned Arsenal manager instead.
This season, the FA has introduced new guidelines to curb any vehement expressions from managers on the sidelines which the media would have you believe is the sole domain of Arsenal and Arteta.
The introduction of such rules, while aiming to bring more decorum to the game, also places a greater responsibility on referees to ensure unbiased and consistent decision-making, something they seem to have a problem with.
Thomas Partey was also booked after minutes for gently kicking the ball away, something Attwell only punished City for the second time they did it.
Attwell also booked Kai Havertz for a deliberate trip despite not booking Rodri for the pull back on him earlier.
And that was all just in the first half…
As always, we remind those reading this that it is not that Arsenal’s yellows are not yellows, it’s that the are often not given to the opposition for the same fouls.
