Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been heavily criticised by one of the club’s former captains in William Gallas.
Gallas told Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction that he was not happy with how Arteta dealt with the 1-1 draw away to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final this week.
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The Spanish tactician hit out at a controversial refereeing decision that saw the Gunners have a penalty overturned for what looked like a clear foul on Eberechi Eze.
See below for a video clip from Arteta’s post-match press conference, with the manager clearly unhappy at what could prove to be a crucial decision in deciding this course of this tie…
? “At this level, this CANNOT happen!” ?
Mikel Arteta did NOT hold back after *that* penalty decision against Arsenal last night…?
©?UEFA 2026 pic.twitter.com/xE2CsBFb8n
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) April 30, 2026
Arsenal will probably be satisfied with a 1-1 draw from a tough away game, but this could also quite easily have been a win for Arteta’s side to put them on the brink of the Champions League final.
William Gallas criticises Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments
Still, Gallas felt this was not the way Arteta should have dealt with the incident, as this is simply the kind of thing that happens in many games for all teams all season long.
“In terms of the Ebere Eze penalty which was overturned, and Mikel Arteta’s comments on it after the game… look, I can only say so much about it because I’m not the manager, and I know there are lots of emotions on these occasions. But, for me, regardless of whether it was or wasn’t a penalty, you shouldn’t be coming out of a game like that and looking for something or someone to blame,” Gallas said.
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“I’m not happy about that, because if you go back and look at decisions made by referees throughout the season – and this isn’t just about Arsenal, by the way – both in the Premier League,…
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