Gary Lineker hits back at ‘conspiratorial’ Arsenal theories after William Saliba decision

Gary Lineker has hit back at “conspiratorial” theories from Arsenal fans after William Saliba’s controversial red card against Bournemouth.

Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, marking their first loss of the season. Both goals from the Cherries came in the second half, with Ryan Christie netting from a clever corner routine in the 70th minute, before Justin Kluivert tucked away his penalty nine minutes later.

The pivotal moment in the game, though, was Saliba’s straight red 30 minutes into the Premier League clash, after the French defender brought down Evanilson as the last man. Initially shown a yellow by referee Robert Jones, the official changed his decision to a red card after VAR prompted a second look at the incident.

It followed the second yellow cards received by Saliba's team-mates Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard in recent weeks for kicking the ball away after committing fouls – both decisions having been deemed extremely harsh by the Gunners faithful. The theory of an agenda against Mikel Arteta's title-chasing side this season gained even more momentum among fans after PGMOL chief Howard Webb was seen speaking on the phone in the crowd during Saliba's VAR review, sparking speculation online that he could have been involved in the decision-making process.

Match of the Day host Lineker has now rubbished those claims, which Sky Sports also rejected at the time. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker said: "I very much doubt that VAR and the referees all gather together and go, 'we've got to make sure Arsenal don't get any decisions this season'. What I'm trying to say is I think it's pretty conspiratorial to think it's a deliberate thing against Arsenal.”

Pundit Micah Richards interjected, adding: “I don't think there's a conspiracy, but there are media darlings over the years and other teams have had a lot more decisions than others," to which Lineker replied: "I think that comes down to the influence of the crowd and the atmosphere and things like that.

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"I don't think referees ever go out there to favour the home side. I think it's a pressure that builds, they give a couple of decisions against the home team and then it builds and then it becomes a contentious decision which he gives in their favour.

"I don't think it's a deliberate thing. I think referees have always subconsciously always favoured the home team, particularly in places where there's a big atmosphere. It's just kind of being a human being.”

Saliba's dismissal left Arsenal having to play with 10 men for the third time in just eight games this season – each instance leading to dropped points. The incident became a major talking point, not only because of referee Webb's appearance on TV screens, but also due to the decision seeming harsher when compared to a similar incident in Liverpool’s win over Chelsea on Sunday.

Blues defender Tosin Adarabioyo only saw yellow for pulling down Liverpool's Diogo Jota to prevent an attack as the last defender. A closer look at the two scenarios outlined potential differences: the closer proximity of a covering Chelsea defender, the ball's trajectory being towards the side of the pitch rather than goal, and the offence occurring further away from goal.

Despite these differences, the ongoing debate about Saliba's red card indicates that the referee's decision was not a ‘clear and obvious error’ but a subjective call, meaning VAR may not have had to intervene in the first place. Arsenal supporters' fury has been compounded by the dozens of other examples of players stopping opposition free-kicks from being taken quickly this season, which have not been dealt with such heavy-handed officiating as the Rice and Trossard cases.

Rice vented on Saturday at full time to referee Jones that "every week it's the same", highlighting a pattern of poor or unfair officiating when Arsenal play. There is some cause for his frustration, with Arsenal having received a whopping 18 red cards since Arteta took charge in December 2019 – five more than Everton in second place for the same period.

The Arsenal boss said on Saturday night: "Playing with 10 men there is obviously an issue. When you analyse the three different actions and the outcomes it's very different. When you play with 10 men for 65 minutes, the task becomes almost impossible. So, we need to eradicate that.

"It's clear why, the reason and how, it doesn't matter. We have to focus and it has to happen. The most effective way [of avoiding further red cards], I have to be very honest, is not talking about it. Because we tried and we showed and we talked and we repeated the message that we had to play with 11 and it happened again after a week or after three weeks and they said: 'Guys, let's try something else. ' And then it disappeared.”

Reflecting on Saliba's red card specifically, Arteta added: "It's a split of a second decision you have to make. The striker is on his back. Obviously, he doesn't expect the ball suddenly to be coming his way. He just made a decision and that's it.”

Arsenal now find themselves three points behind champions Manchester City and four points behind Liverpool, who are topping the table at this early stage. Saliba's red card also means he will now miss the blockbuster clash with Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.

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