Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has denied that the club have complained to England's refereeing body, PGMOL, about the treatment of winger Bukayo Saka.
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- Arsenal reportedly asked PGMOL to investigate Saka treatment
- Claimed that the star winger deserves protection
- Arteta insists that Arsenal have said "nothing specific"
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Reports emerged on Wednesday that the Gunners had appealed to England's central refereeing body asking for increased protection of Saka. According to , Arsenal have asked for opponents to be booked after "the first strong foul" on their star man.
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WHAT ARTETA SAID
But Arteta denied that Arsenal had referenced any specific issues in their contact with PGMOL: He told reporters on Friday (via ): "That’s daily communication. We have certain topics but nothing specific about that one. I think the referees know the tactics of the opponents and that some players invite more tackles. I think that's been going on for two years. We have wingers that provoke a lot of fouls and attention. That's something normal."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Arteta and Arsenal have made headlines for their relationship with PGMOL on multiple occasions this season. Most recently, Arteta avoided a ban for criticising referees — an event that was met with controversy around the Premier League.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Saka is among the most fouled in the Premier League this seaosn, but ranks third on the list, behind Crystal Palace's Jordan Ayew and Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes.
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