VAR Panel Confirms Serious Refereeing Errors Benefiting Arsenal in Brighton Match

London. The Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel of the English Premier League has confirmed that serious errors were made by the referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the match between Arsenal and Brighton on March 4. The panel concluded that although Arsenal won the match 1-0, Brighton was unfairly denied a clear penalty, benefiting Arsenal.

This is the second time this season that Arsenal has benefited from an incorrect VAR decision in a match won by a one-goal margin, raising questions about the fairness of the league itself. According to the incident details, in first-half injury time, Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli pulled down Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo, who was running towards the ball inside the box, causing him to fall. Referee Chris Kavanagh allowed play to continue, and VAR Michael Salisbury also did not deem it an offense.

However, the independent panel ruled by a 4-1 majority that it was a clear penalty. According to the panel, Martinelli held and pulled down Caicedo without looking at the ball, which deprived Brighton of a goal-scoring opportunity.

The repeated favorable VAR decisions for Arsenal this season cannot be considered mere coincidence. Previously, in the match against Everton in December, the panel had determined that Everton should have been awarded a penalty for a foul committed by William Saliba, but there too, VAR Michael Salisbury was the official.

Surprisingly, VAR Michael Salisbury was also officiating that match. Furthermore, the panel unanimously decided that Chelsea should have received a penalty when Declan Rice committed a handball against Chelsea, but VAR did not intervene there either.

Current statistics show that a total of 18 VAR errors have been recorded in the Premier League this season. This number is equal to the total errors made during the entire last season (2024-25). Interestingly, not a single VAR error has been recorded against Arsenal so far this season.

Brighton's manager, Fabian Hürzeler, even had an argument with Arsenal's manager, Mikel Arteta, on the pitch regarding the incident. Although VAR technology was introduced to make the game fairer, the recurring errors are increasing the anger among clubs and supporters.