The reason Riccardo Calafiori was barred from using a towel before a throw-in during Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle on Sunday has now been revealed. As part of its anti-time-wasting policy, the Football League prohibits the use of external equipment; however, the Premier League has no such prohibition for towels.
Despite Arsenal being allowed to dry the ball before set pieces in their draw against Manchester City last weekend, and Jefferson Lerma taking up to 15 seconds to do so before launching the ball into the box for Crystal Palace’s late winner against Liverpool on Saturday (watch below), Calafiori was stopped by the referee from doing the same.
The event has left many Premier League watchers perplexed about the regulations, but someone with extensive knowledge of the game and its laws has finally addressed Jarred Gillett’s decision.
Why Calafiori Wasn’t Allowed To Use Towels In Newcastle
The TV cameras missed Calafiori running all the way behind Nick Pope’s goal to fetch the goalkeeper’s towel, which he then used to dry the ball for added grip. A source from The Athletic with knowledge of the rules explained the following incident:
“Both teams must agree on their placement around the pitch before to the match. They must also be uniformly dispersed around the playing surface’s edge. As a result, transporting one from one section of the field to another for use is prohibited.”
Arsenal came back from a goal down against Newcastle, who had grabbed the lead after surviving an early penalty scare when Nick Pope clattered Viktor Gyokeres, which VAR controversially – and incorrectly for many – overruled.
The Magpies held on until the 84th minute, but two set pieces wrecked their efforts in typical Mikel Arteta form, with Mikel Merino and Gabriel scoring with headers. The victory puts Arsenal just two points behind league leaders Liverpool, who suffered a late defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, ending their unbeaten run.
Their next home game against West Ham presents the north Londoners with an excellent opportunity to take the lead, if only for a limited period of time.
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