Mikel Arteta expressed his fury after a VAR intervention nullified a penalty that had been awarded to Eberechi Eze, describing the reversal as "completely unacceptable". The incident occurred in the first leg of Arsenal's Champions League semi‑final against Atletico Madrid, a match that ultimately ended in a 1‑1 draw and left the Gunners feeling aggrieved. In the 78th minute, substitute Eze found himself in the box and was brought down by Atletico defender David Hancko. The contact appeared to be a classic foot‑on‑foot challenge, and the Arsenal players and fans alike believed a penalty should have been given, giving the visitors a chance to regain the lead.
However, the VAR team intervened, prompting referee Danny Makkelie to consult the monitor. After reviewing several replays, Makkelie withdrew the penalty decision, and the match concluded level, setting up a second leg at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Arteta, speaking to TNT Sports immediately after the final whistle, delivered a scathing assessment of the decision. "After going back into the dressing room, speaking to the boys and watching the penalty incident, it's extremely disappointing and annoying because it was against the rules and it changes the course of the tie," he said.
"I'm very, very upset. The whole sequence shows clear contact. You make the decision, you cannot overturn that decision when you have to look at it 13 times. It's completely unacceptable at this level.
It's the wrong decision." Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice echoed his manager's frustration, insisting the spot‑kick was obvious and suggesting that the atmosphere in the stadium may have influenced the referee. "It's a clear penalty.
And I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans provoked the decision and changed the ref's mind," Rice told reporters. He added that UEFA's approach to VAR differs from the Premier League, noting that officials must be "so careful because they give absolutely everything".
UEFA later issued a brief statement on its website, explaining that the Atletico player (No. 17) "did not commit a foul on the opponent".
The governing body declined to elaborate on the precise reasoning behind the VAR reversal when queried by Sky Sports News, reaffirming its policy that VAR will only intervene in "clear and obvious" match‑changing situations. When asked whether Arsenal would lodge a formal protest, Arteta responded, "I leave that to the club to decide what's the best thing to do.
Now they're not going to give us a penalty. That's it. That's gone." The decision was one of several contentious moments that defined the encounter.
Arsenal had taken the lead at halftime through a penalty scored by Viktor Gyokeres after another clash involving Hancko, who had earlier bundled the striker from behind. Atletico equalised after the break when Julian Alvarez converted a penalty after VAR flagged a handball by Ben White. The ball had deflected off White's knee onto his hand following a shot from Marcos Llorente, prompting Makkelie to send the incident to the monitor once again. Arteta acknowledged that the interpretation of handball in the Champions League differs from that in the Premier League, stating, "They have been consistent with that.
If you are going to give a penalty for this kind of thing you have to accept it." The handball controversy was not isolated to the Arsenal‑Atletico tie. In the other semi‑final, UEFA faced criticism after a decision to penalise Alphonso Davies in Paris Saint‑Germain's victory over Bayern Munich. Former England defender Jamie Carragher took to X (formerly Twitter) to call for clearer handball guidelines, saying, "The Champions League is the best football by a mile, but these penalty decisions for handball really are a stain on the competition.
Last night's was worse but that should not be a penalty against White." Reflecting on his team's performance in Madrid, Arteta praised his players' resilience. "I'm very proud, I said that to the boys, the way we handled the context for nine-and-a-half months, just remarkable.
I really value what they've done because I've seen some of the best teams in the world here fall apart and concede three and four. We didn't get the result that we wanted, and the way we planned the game, we wanted to win it. At least it is in our hands, in front of our people.
We want to be in that final and in a week's time we are going to have the opportunity to do so," he concluded. The controversy surrounding the VAR decision has reignited debate over the technology's role in high‑stakes matches, with many fans and pundits calling for greater transparency and consistency. As Arsenal prepare for the decisive second leg at home, the Gunners will hope that the disappointment of the first leg can be left behind and that they can focus on securing a place in the Champions League final.