Ian Wright has been accused of fuelling Arsenal conspiracy theories regarding Michael Oliver by Gary Neville and Roy Keane.
Oliver faced backlash from Mikel Arteta and Arsenal supporters after controversially showing Myles Lewis-Skelly a straight red card in last weekend’s Premier League fixture at Wolves. The decision was ratified by VAR at the time but has since been rescinded upon appeal.
However, Arsenal have still been charged for their players’ heated reaction to the dismissal as they crowded around Oliver on the pitch. Meanwhile, the Northumberland official has been the victim of online abuse and has received death threats, which Arteta has condemned.
Oliver has been under police protection, with specialist officers from the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) now investigating the abuse, reports The Times. The 39-year-old will not be involved in the high-profile clash between Arsenal and Manchester City on Sunday either, instead overseeing Ipswich Town’s fixture with Southampton on Saturday.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Arsenal icon Wright supported the decision to remove Oliver from the Arsenal-City game, citing a statistic about the referee’s history with City games. “He’s had 47 games with City and never sent a player off once. It’s a fact, Gary, it’s there for people to see,” he said.
(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
But his comments did not go down well with co-hosts and former Manchester United stars Neville and Keane, who suggested Wright was fuelling suggestions of bias among Arsenal fans.
Neville replied: “You’re now adding to it. 47 games with City? City probably haven’t made a tackle in those games because they had 80 per cent of the ball.”
Wright then questioned Oliver’s decision not to give a penalty against City after Jeremy Doku’s high challenge on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister last season, asking: “Didn’t I see Doku in Mac Allister’s chest?”
Neville continued to defend Oliver, stating: “I hate the idea of a referee being taken off a game. He’s the best referee in the country.” Keane then chimed in, saying: “Oh here we go! Oh Wrighty.”
But Wright insisted: “I’m not saying that but the fans have got every right to feel how they feel, what they read and what they see.”
Peter Bankes is instead set to officiate the fixture between last season’s top two sides, where a win for City could close the gap on Arsenal to just three points. Meanwhile, the Gunners need a win to keep pace with league leaders Liverpool, who are six points ahead having played one less game.
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london’s dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you’re curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.
