Mikel Arteta launched a furious tirade against VAR and Dutch referee Danny Makkelie after the official overturned a late penalty decision and robbed Arsenal of victory in Spain.
Makkelie initially pointed to the spot after Eberechi Eze was brought down by David Hancko in the 80th minute of a tumultuous Champions League semi-final first leg tie against Atletico Madrid in the Estadio Metropolitano.
But after he had looked at the footage a dozen times, and after Atleti boss Diego Simeone had put him under intense pressure on the sidelines, Makkelie changed his mind.
‘I am incredibly fuming with the how the hell the penalty on Ebs gets overturned,’ Arteta said after the tie had ended in a 1-1 draw. ‘I am sorry but this cannot happen. It’s impossible and we are fuming about it.
‘It is a clear and very obvious penalty. It was against the rules and I don’t understand it. Very upset. There is clear contact; he makes the decision and you can’t overturn it when you have to watch it 13 times.
Arsenal were awarded a penalty after Eberechi Eze went down in the box but the decision was controversially overturned
‘I don’t know if he was influenced by what was going on on the touchline. That’s an answer for him. It’s the wrong decision. When you have fought so hard for nine months to be in this position, there is so much on it. This cannot happen. It could turn the course of the tie.’
The controversy ended a match when both sides had already been awarded controversial penalties, Arsenal for a push on Viktor Gyokeres and Atleti for a handball against Ben White.
There was one last flashpoint as the teams were leaving the pitch when Simeone appeared to take exception to White walking across the Atletico Madrid club badge at the entrance to the tunnel. Simeone appeared to shove White as the players disappeared from view.
Arsenal will now host Atleti in the second leg at the Emirates next Tuesday for the right to face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Budapest at the end of May.
‘I am very proud,’ Arteta said. ‘The way we handled everything for nine and a half months is remarkable. I have seen some of the best teams in the world fall apart at this stadium. It is in our hands now to be in the final.’
