- Alan Shearer pulled no punches as he took aim at referee Slavko Vincic
- The official produced a number of dubious decisions between Arsenal and PSG
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Alan Shearer has ripped into referee Slavko Vincic after his officiating display in the first-half of Arsenal’s clash against PSG.
The Gunners hosted their French counterparts in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night as they looked to gain advantage in the tie.
However, many Arsenal fans were left incensed with the officiating in the opening 45 minutes after seeing a number of their players penalised for soft fouls.
Both Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka were given yellow cards in the opening stages – with some fans feeling as though Vincic had been harsh on the pair.
Shearer echoed those thoughts on Amazon Prime’s commentary, as he said: ‘I think the referee has made a very good game very difficult for himself with the way he is talking to the players and his attitude.
‘He is making this a tough game to referee. Really frustrating for players, it really is. He made it very tough for himself when he booked Trossard’.
Referee Slavko Vincic came under criticism for his first-half display as Arsenal took on PSG
Alan Shearer, who was on commentary for Amazon Prime, ripped into the Slovenian official
Arsenal’s frustrations were heightened after they watched PSG take the lead inside four minutes with a neat finish from France international Ousmane Dembele.
The winger produced a well-taken strike to curl the ball into the far corner of David Raya’s goal as he broke the deadlock in the European tie.
Prior to the game, Arsenal fans had hoped that Vincic might serve as a good omen – given his previous history when officiating the Gunners.
The Slovenian referee was the man in charge when Arsenal defeated PSG 2-0 in the early stages of the Champions League.
On that day in October, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz scored the goals that handed Mikel Arteta’s side an important victory against PSG.
Vincic had little to do that night, handing out just two yellow cards; one for Riccardo Calafiori and another for Fabian Ruiz.
He also officiated at the Champions League last season when Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund, and took charge of PSG’s clash with AC Milan in the same tournament, the French side winning 3-0.
