Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has openly criticized the decision to send off Arsenal’s Declan Rice during their match against Brighton and Hove Albion, accusing referee Chris Kavanagh of “looking for trouble.”
The incident occurred when Kavanagh issued a red card to Rice for allegedly delaying a restart by nudging the ball away from Brighton’s Joel Veltman.
Halsey argued that the decision was not only incorrect according to the rules but also inconsistently applied throughout the game.
He noted that the ball was rolling when Veltman attempted to take the free kick, which would have made the restart invalid under the Laws of the Game.
Therefore, Halsey believes the rule on delaying a restart should not have been applied to Rice in this situation.
“Kavanagh went looking for trouble and found it,” Halsey stated in his column for The Sun. He criticized Kavanagh for sending Rice off, suggesting that the referee should have managed the situation by speaking to both players rather than issuing a red card.
Halsey believes Rice should have received a final warning for flicking the ball away, while Veltman, who avoided punishment for kicking Rice, should have been similarly cautioned.
Halsey supported Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s post-match complaints about Kavanagh’s inconsistency, which were echoed by other players.
Arteta expressed frustration, pointing out that if Kavanagh was enforcing the rules on Rice, he should have done the same earlier in the match when Brighton’s Joao Pedro kicked the ball back onto the pitch to delay an Arsenal throw-in but was not punished.
This controversy highlights ongoing concerns about inconsistent refereeing in the Premier League, particularly regarding how rules are applied in different situations.
Critics like Halsey argue that referees need to aim for consistency and fairness in their decisions to maintain the integrity of the game, as inconsistent calls only serve to frustrate players, managers, and fans alike.