Mikel Arteta expressed fierce disappointment after the referee reversed a penalty that had been awarded to Eberechi Eze, describing the decision 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 set the stage for a decisive second leg at the Emirates Stadium. Eze, who had come on as a substitute, found himself in the box in the 78th minute when Atletico defender David Hancko made contact with him.
The challenge was clearly a foot‑on‑foot clash, and the Gunners appeared poised to reclaim the lead. However, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened, prompting referee Danny Makkelie to consult the monitor. After reviewing several replays, Makkelie withdrew the penalty he had initially signalled, allowing the game to finish level. In the post‑match interview with TNT Sports, Arteta did not mince words.
"When we got back to the dressing room and I replayed the incident with the lads, it was extremely frustrating and irritating because it broke the rules and altered the trajectory of the tie," he said. "I'm very, very upset.
The whole sequence shows clear contact. You make a decision, you cannot overturn it after watching it thirteen times. It's completely unacceptable at this level.
It's the wrong decision." Defensive midfielder Declan Rice echoed his manager's anger, insisting that Arsenal should have been given a "clear" spot‑kick and suggesting that the referee was "provoked" by the atmosphere in the stadium. "It's a clear penalty and I don't understand why it wasn't given," Rice remarked.
"I think the fans provoked the decision and changed the referee's mind. UEFA operates differently from the Premier League; in both boxes you have to be extremely careful because they hand out everything." The controversy centred on Dutch referee Makkelie, who, under the watchful eye of Atletico manager Diego Simeone and a crowd of 70,000 vocal supporters, examined the incident thirteen times before overturning his on‑field call. UEFA later issued a brief statement on its website, asserting that "Atleti player, No 17, did not commit a foul on the opponent." The governing body declined to elaborate further when queried by Sky Sports News, reiterating that VAR is intended to intervene only in "clear and obvious" errors.
When asked whether Arsenal would lodge a formal protest with UEFA, Arteta replied, "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." He stressed that the team must move forward and focus on the upcoming second leg. The match itself was marked by three penalty incidents. Arsenal took the lead at halftime through a spot‑kick converted by Viktor Gyokeres after Hancko again made contact with a striker, this time from behind. Atletico equalised in the second half when Julian Alvarez was awarded a penalty following a VAR review that identified a handball by Ben White after Marcos Llorente's shot deflected off White's knee onto his hand.
Arteta acknowledged that the interpretation of handball in the Champions League differs from that in the Premier League, noting, "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 decision against White was part of a broader pattern of contentious calls in the semi‑finals, including a disputed penalty awarded to Alphonso Davies in PSG's win over Bayern Munich.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher took to X (formerly Twitter) to call for UEFA to clarify its handball definition, stating, "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 Arsenal's overall performance in Madrid, Arteta expressed pride in his squad's resilience.
"I'm very proud, I told the boys how they handled the context for nine and a half months – it's 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 or four. We didn't get the result we wanted, but the way we planned the game, we wanted to win it. At least it's in our hands, in front of our people.
We want to be in that final and in a week's time we will have the opportunity to do so," he said. The controversy surrounding the VAR decision underscores the ongoing debate about technology's role in football and the need for clearer guidelines, especially in high‑stakes matches where a single call can swing the balance of a tie.
As Arsenal prepare for the return leg at the Emirates, the focus will shift from the disputed penalty to the tactical battle that lies ahead, with both sides aware that every moment will be scrutinised under the unforgiving lens of modern football analysis.