Gary Lineker has reiterated his belief that an appeal system should be introduced to VAR, and is convinced Mikel Arteta would have challenged the penalty Arsenal conceded against Brighton
Gary Lineker believes Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would have challenged the penalty awarded to Brighton in the 1-1 draw had an appeal process been introduced as part of VAR.
The Gunners were held for a point at the AMEX Stadium, despite Ethan Nwaneri putting them in front in the first-half.
But William Saliba’s collision with Joao Pedro led to a spot-kick being awarded to the hosts, which the Brazilian converted, further denting Arsenal’s Premier League title chase after Liverpool.
In the aftermath, Arteta was furious at ref Anthony Taylor’s decision, claiming it was the first time in his career he’d seen a penalty given in that instance.
Discussing the incident on The Rest is Football podcast, Match of the Day presenter Lineker again insisted on an appeals system that should be brought to football in the hope of avoiding more contentious referee decisions.
“It’s a costly one for Arsenal because it’s cost them a couple of points,” Lineker said. “But beside all that, I think we’ve had to say that and it comes back to my point as well about VAR. It’s really difficult when you go along the lines of is it enough of a foul?
“I know I’m like an old record on this, but that’s why it has to go to an appeal system where the team can go ‘hang on a minute, we want to look at that particular thing’, and then the referee or the VAR looks at it and they decide whether it is a foul or it is not a foul.
“Because the problem is when you go down the road of it’s not quite enough of a foul to turn over a decision, but it is a foul, then it becomes absurd. And I think, I think it’s inevitable that it will come at some point, the appeals side of it.”
Lineker also described how a potential system might function, saying, “And obviously you maybe have two [appeals]. And you keep your appeal if you’re right and you lose it if you don’t. So the teams will have to be clever about when they appeal and when they don’t appeal. And it also stops them looking at every single incident in the box, every corner that comes in.”
When questioned by co-host Alan Shearer on whether he believed Taylor would have reversed his decision if Arteta had appealed, Lineker remained confident.
“I think they would have done that, Saliba knew, he said straight away. ‘I touched it, I touched it’. He knew and they would have appealed. Then he’d have gone to the monitor and I genuinely think that Anthony Taylor would have changed his mind.”
Arteta expressed his frustration after the game, saying, “I have never seen a decision like this in my career. I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before,” the Spaniard said.
“When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao touching the ball, then Saliba touching the ball, you can see contact there. I checked [with the officials]. After three seconds they said they had already checked. It seems quick.”