Arsenal will reach out to the professional refereeing body Pro Ref following the decision to award a penalty to Sunderland in their 1-0 victory on Saturday. The incident involved Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa and Sunderland player Dan Ballard, who were engaged in a physical exchange inside the penalty area. Konsa was judged to have held Ballard excessively, leading to a penalty call by referee John Brooks, which was subsequently confirmed by the video assistant referee (VAR).
Manager Mikel Arteta criticised the decision, stating, "This is not acceptable at this level. I watched it 20 times and I cannot find a way to understand how they think to give a penalty in that situation, or the way the VAR has to intervene. So I don't know what to think. I'm sad that we have to discuss this after such a beautiful game, that at this level has the gravity of that. Because that changes the course of the season and it can cost you the championship. At this level, with all the work we put in, this cannot happen."
Premier League officials confirmed the penalty was initially awarded by Brooks and upheld by VAR. Match of the Day pundits Ashley Williams and Thomas Frank also argued the penalty was unwarranted, suggesting Arsenal should have been given a free‑kick instead.
Arsenal’s move to engage Pro Ref reflects the club’s desire to prevent significant refereeing decisions from affecting their campaign and to gain clarity on the referee’s rationale.
