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, arguing that referee Chris Kavanagh was “looking for trouble.”
The incident involved Kavanagh issuing a red card to Rice for allegedly delaying a restart by moving the ball away from Brighton’s Joel Veltman.
Halsey contends that this decision was incorrect according to the rules and inconsistently applied throughout the game.
He notes that the ball was still rolling when Veltman attempted the free-kick, which should have invalidated the restart under the Laws of the Game.
Halsey argues that Kavanagh should have handled the situation differently, perhaps by issuing a warning rather than a red card.
He believes Rice deserved a final warning for flicking the ball away, and that Veltman should have been cautioned for kicking Rice. Halsey supports Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s criticism of Kavanagh’s inconsistent decision-making, which was echoed by other players.
Arteta highlighted that if Kavanagh was enforcing rules on Rice, he should have applied them earlier in the match when Brighton’s Joao Pedro delayed an Arsenal throw-in.
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka also noted the inconsistency, pointing out that Pedro’s similar action in the first half went unpunished while Rice was sent off for a minor infraction.
The controversy over Kavanagh’s officiating underscores ongoing concerns about inconsistent refereeing in the Premier League, with critics like Halsey arguing for greater consistency and fairness to uphold the game’s integrity.
Decisions like Kavanagh’s continue to frustrate players, managers, and fans, leading to increased scrutiny of refereeing standards.
