BREAKING NEWS: FIFA has announced disappointing news for referee Chris Kavanagh, who officiated the Arsenal vs. Brighton match. The controversy surrounding the red card issued to Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has resulted in Kavanagh losing his job.

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has expressed strong criticism regarding the decision to send off Arsenal’s Declan Rice during their match against Brighton and Hove Albion. Halsey accused referee Chris Kavanagh of “looking for trouble” in the controversial incident where Rice was shown a red card for allegedly delaying a restart by nudging the ball away from Brighton’s Joel Veltman. Halsey believes this decision was not only incorrect according to the rules but also inconsistently applied throughout the match.

Halsey argues that the ball was rolling when Veltman tried to take the free-kick, which under the Laws of the Game, would make the restart invalid. Consequently, he contends that the rule about delaying a restart should not have been enforced on Rice in this situation.

In Halsey’s opinion, Kavanagh should have handled the situation differently by speaking to both players rather than issuing a red card. He suggests Rice could have received a final warning for his actions, while Veltman, who escaped punishment for kicking Rice, should have also been cautioned.

Halsey’s views align with those of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who was vocal in his post-match criticism of Kavanagh’s decisions. Arteta highlighted the inconsistency in Kavanagh’s officiating, noting that if he enforced the rules on Rice, he should have applied the same standard earlier in the match when Brighton’s Joao Pedro kicked the ball back onto the pitch to delay an Arsenal throw-in.

However, Pedro went unpunished, which further frustrated Arteta. “In the first half, there were two incidents, and nothing happened,” Arteta said. He emphasized that if Kavanagh was applying the rules by the book, then Pedro’s action should have also resulted in a red card.

Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka echoed this sentiment, calling for more consistency in refereeing decisions. He pointed out that Pedro was not penalized for his actions, whereas Rice was sent off for a seemingly minor incident.

This inconsistency has fueled ongoing concerns about the standard of refereeing in the Premier League, with critics like Halsey arguing that referees must strive for fairness and consistency to preserve the integrity of the game. Incidents like Kavanagh’s decision only serve to frustrate players, managers, and fans, leading to increased scrutiny of Premier League officiating.