'Ruining our game': Martin Keown rages against Arsenal handball as major rule change demanded
Arsenal legend Martin Keown vented his fury after the Gunners were awarded a penalty in controversial circumstances.
Referee Istvan Kovacs called a handball against. Arsenal Midfielder Mikel Merino in their Champions League defeat to Inter Milan even though his arm was close to his body and he had little or no time to react.
Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu made no mistake in the resulting penalty in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, but the incident left a bitter taste in Keown's mouth.
“Is his arm in an unnatural position?” Keown said in TNT Sports.
“I don't know who determines that… it's ruining our game, it certainly ruins Arteta's team talk.”
Fellow TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist agreed and says a major change to handball rules is required.
“The law has to change and the word 'deliberate' has to come back,” McCoist said.
“That's not deliberate.”
It is unlikely that a penalty would have been awarded if this happened in a Premier League match as new handball laws were introduced before the start of this season.
In the Premier League, referees consider mitigating factors when deciding whether to call a handball.
These include the player's proximity to the ball, whether the player's arm is used to support his body as he falls, and whether the player deflects or plays the ball over his own arms.
The Italian team was perhaps a little lucky not to have conceded a penalty early in the match, with Merino once again at the center of the action.
Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer jumped and tried to finish a cross from Gunners winger Gabriel Martinelli to safety.
However, the Swiss international missed the ball and instead played with Merino, who was the first to reach the ball with a header.
However, Kovacs did not consider the incident worthy of a penalty and the VAR shared the same opinion.
And Arsenal could not find a way back into the match, which ended 1-0, condemning the north London team to a second successive defeat, as well as three defeats in their last six matches.
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