Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League final. (Image: Getty)
Arsenal have secured their place in their second-ever Champions League final after overcoming Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate. However, controversial refereeing decisions have somewhat overshadowed the achievement. Mikel Arteta’s side were held to a 1-1 draw during last week’s first leg in Madrid, a match that was not without its own VAR controversy. The opening half of the second leg was a tense, nervy affair, with a place in the final at stake.
Then, in the 44th minute, Bukayo Saka reacted quickest after Leandro Trossard’s shot was parried out by Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak, breaking the deadlock. Early in the second half, Antoine Griezmann controlled a rebound inside the box and appeared to be brought down by Riccardo Calafiori.
Supporters may have feared the worst, but VAR declined to award a penalty, citing a foul by Atletico’s Marc Pubill on Gabriel moments prior to Calafiori’s challenge. The Spanish press has been scathing of this ruling as Arsenal held firm to win 1-0 and book their place in Budapest.
Calafiori’s challenge on Griezmann in the second half would almost certainly have resulted in an Atletico penalty were it not for the foul awarded against Pubill in the build-up. Referee Daniel Siebert has borne the brunt of the criticism for the decision, with Spanish outlet AS taking particular exception.
“For the Rojiblancos, tonight will be remembered above all by one name. His name was Daniel Siebert,” read a report. “[It was] a clear, blatant, undeniable stamp on the foot with which Calafiori brought down the Frenchman.
“But the referee had previously whistled for a foul by Pubill on Gabriel, which, by the way, wasn’t a foul. They had both jumped at the same time and the VAR room didn’t even take him to the monitor.
“The tool was supposed to be there to avoid errors like this. The kind that always drowns Atletico’s hopes in the Champions League. His whistle was heard afterwards. Siebert, alongside [referees Mark] Clattenburg and [Szymon] Marciniak: these guys are truly mad, bad, and dangerous.”
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Referee Daniel Siebert was under the spotlight. (Image: Getty)
The incident was further condemned by Mundo Deportivo. The publication wrote: “After a shot by Pubill, the referee disallowed Calafiori’s clear foul on Griezmann.
“The replays clearly show that Pubill did not commit the foul, so a penalty should have been awarded. However, the VAR officials opted not to overturn Siebert’s initial decision.
“In the first half, Calafiori had already committed a clear penalty against Giuliano [Simeone] in the 41st minute. A push that sent him sprawling inside the area. However, that play was ruled offside. An offside that, surprisingly, wasn’t reviewed by VAR.”
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Another outlet, Sport, also voiced frustration over the refereeing, writing: “Football owes no one anything. It just settles scores. It’s the debt collector.
“There are no Champions League titles left for Atletico. The memory only serves to torture them for what could have been. They exposed the inconsistency of referee Daniel Siebert. A referee known for his quick decisions.
“He failed to call a clear penalty for a foul by Calafiori on Griezmann after an alleged foul on Gabriel. The VAR official was Bastian Dankert, the German referee who witnessed Julian Alvarez’s double touch [penalty miss that saw Atletico knocked out of last year’s Champions League by Real Madrid].”