BREAKING NEWS: The Premier League has finally acknowledged the horrible VAR blunder committed by the referee during the arsenal vs Brighton match. It is really unfortunate that the referee’s negligence caused us to draw the match; we cannot allow this to occur and the match needs to be replayed.😡😡😡

The Premier League has confirmed that Declan Rice was sent off during Arsenal’s match against Brighton for ‘delaying a restart,’ despite the Arsenal midfielder being on the receiving end of a kick. As a result of this red card, Rice will be suspended for Arsenal’s upcoming match against fierce rivals Tottenham, scheduled to take place in two weeks.

The incident that led to Rice’s dismissal was highly controversial. After receiving two yellow cards, Rice was incensed by the decision, particularly because the second yellow resulted from an altercation with Brighton’s Joel Veltman. The altercation began when Rice lightly touched the ball as he prepared to take a free-kick, after which Veltman kicked him. Rice felt that Veltman’s actions were a retaliatory lash out, especially since the two had just tangled and Veltman had ended up on the ground.

However, the referee interpreted the situation differently. According to the official’s view, Veltman was merely attempting to restart the game after winning a free-kick, and Rice’s slight touch of the ball caused him to bear the brunt of Veltman’s kick. Consequently, Rice was penalized for delaying the restart.

This decision falls in line with new Premier League regulations that were introduced for the 2024/25 season. Under these rules, any deliberate attempt to delay the restart of play, whether by players or technical staff, will result in a yellow card. Despite protests from Rice and his Arsenal teammates, the referee’s decision was supported by VAR, leading to Rice’s forced exit from the pitch.

The Premier League’s official website clarifies this rule, stating: “It remains the case that a club’s technical area staff who deliberately delay the restart of play by holding on to the ball, kicking the ball away, etc., will be sent off. Any players who do the same in the technical area will receive a yellow card.”

The decision to send off Rice left commentators and fans puzzled. TNT Sports commentators Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist expressed their confusion, with McCoist notably saying, “I don’t know what Declan Rice is meant to do. It looked like it was a kick-out at him! I think Joel Veltman is lucky to stay on the pitch with his kick out.”

To add to Arsenal’s frustration, the situation worsened when Joao Pedro scored his second goal of the season just nine minutes after Rice’s dismissal, leveling the score following Kai Havertz’s opening goal in the first half. The match ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving both teams still unbeaten as the season progresses.