Ian Wright has recently spoken out in defense of Declan Rice following his controversial red card in the match against Brighton last weekend. The incident occurred soon after the break when the Arsenal midfielder was shown a surprise second yellow card for an incident involving Joel Veltman.
Initially, it seemed that Veltman, the Brighton defender, would be the one in trouble as he appeared to kick Rice while playing a quick free-kick. However, referee Chris Kavanagh made the decision to issue Rice with a second booking after he nudged the ball out of the way and obstructed Veltman from restarting play.
Following Rice’s sending off, Brighton went on to score an equalizer, taking advantage of their numerical superiority at the Emirates Stadium. The decision to send off Rice has sparked a lot of debate, with Mikel Arteta expressing his amazement at the call and former referee Dermot Gallagher reluctantly admitting it was the correct decision but not the ideal one.
During a discussion on The Overlap, Ian Wright, along with fellow Sky pundits Gary Neville, Roy Keane, and Jamie Carragher, shared their views on the incident. Wright highlighted that the ball was still in motion when Veltman attempted to kick it and pointed out that VAR should have intervened in the matter.
Wright expressed his frustration with the situation, emphasizing that the ball was still moving and questioning why the decision was made based on the letter of the law. He criticized Kavanagh for not consulting VAR, stating that the people upstairs should have intervened as the ball was still in motion.
Roy Keane disagreed with Wright’s interpretation, arguing that the incident warranted a sending off as per the letter of the law. He also mentioned that Arteta should be sent off every week for frequently being outside his technical area.
The debate continued with Jamie Carragher suggesting that the referee should have handled the situation differently by having a discussion with both players involved in the incident. Wright agreed, stating that a simple chat between the players could have resolved the issue without the need for a red card.
Overall, the discussion highlighted the differing opinions on Rice’s red card, with some believing it was a correct decision while others felt it was harsh. The incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing debate surrounding referees’ decisions in football matches and the role of VAR in shaping the outcome of games.
