BREAKING: FIFA officially discloses Erling Haaland’s punishment for his wayward attitude against Arsenal, with the player slated to miss five Premier League matches and a well-written apology to Arteta. Congratulations Arsenal supporters!
Is this Erling Haaland’s universe, and we’re just living in it? Following Arsenal’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Manchester City, it might easily look like this.
After being seconds away from the narrative of a team ready to confront Pep Guardiola more than ever, City’s final equalizer at the Etihad Stadium saw emotions rise once again on an afternoon that had been simmering before the start. It couldn’t have been any other way when Kai Havertz ran into Rodri shortly after kickoff.
Haaland seemed like he’d run through Arsenal again, like he did in the 2022/23 late-season title race, but Mikel Arteta showed grit with a spectacular first-half comeback that put them ahead at the interval. However, Leandro Trossard’s red card changed the scenario.
It took City only 52 minutes to capitalise and score, triggering ecstatic scenes at the Etihad Stadium. The occasion struck Haaland, who is no new to causing commotion and seizing the attention at this venue.
In celebration, he grabbed up the ball and flung it at Gabriel Magalhaes’ head. The Brazilian, who had put Arsenal ahead earlier in the game, covered his face in misery after surrendering and did not respond as expected.
Michael Oliver did not see the event, but VAR did, and the authorities at Stockley Park determined that no action was warranted. Following the restart, Haaland bundled over Thomas Partey, escalating the situation further.
Gabriel defended his friend, and at full time, a scuffle broke out between a slew of Gunners players and their Norwegian opponents. Taking matters into his own hands, Haaland cursed at Gabriel Jesus, insulted Arteta, and seemed to criticize rookie Myles Lewis-Skelley.
Only earlier this year did he come face to face with Gabriel following the 0-0 tie, which was more attrition than entertaining. Here, football.london writers argue whether Haaland should be penalized nonetheless.
According to Tom Coley, Haaland contributed significantly to the game against Arsenal, although his performance did not warrant a red card. There is also nothing here that requires retrospective punishment, or that may be punished in any way.
These games require a certain amount of needle and fire. It was impolite and impulsive, but it was neither detrimental nor meaningful in the long run. Haaland makes the terrain his own. Only in the last encounter in March did Arsenal’s guy stand over Haaland and yell in his face, which is not dissimilar.
If we want the stakes to be high in games like these between true championship rivals, the dial has to be pushed up a notch. It remains to be seen whether it is correct in light of what Leandro Trossard was sent off for.
Kieran Horn was at the center of the action on Sunday afternoon and might have received a red card for many occasions. He was fortunate not to receive a yellow card for his early tackle on William Saliba, and players have been sent out for doing less than reacting to the late equalizer.
Many may believe that his actions after the last whistle warranted a suspension or fine. Haaland was involved in two different disputes on the pitch, one of which resulted in a brawl, but he should not face any serious penalty.
There was definitely no evidence of aggressive conduct or opposition to authorities that would warrant such punishments, thus everything appears to have been blown out of proportion, with Haaland, who shown significantly worse behavior during the 3-3 draw against Tottenham, escaping unharmed.
Mark Halsey
Former Premier League referee Halsey, who is not a football.london contributor, told the Sun: “You could argue it’s violent conduct because it looks like he’s throwing something at someone’s head.” It’s as if he’s punching someone in the head.
“So he may consider himself really fortunate that [referee] Michael Oliver did not notice it, and VAR did not pick it up either. It would be fascinating to see if the FA takes retrospective action over that episode, which may be seen as aggressive conduct.” He explained: “He’s used the ball as a weapon, not his fist.”
Dermot Gallagher
Gallagher also assessed the situation in an interview with Sky Sports. On the ball toss, he added, “You’re risking another melee because this is what occurs later; it’s just been pushed back to 2-2, and tempers are high.
