“You let yourself down!” – Simon Jordan and Martin Keown get into a heated argument over Arsenal VAR controversy
Simon Jordan has criticized former Arsenal defender Martin Keown and other Arsenal fans who work as pundits, saying they aren’t being objective after the VAR controversy at West Ham on Sunday.
Arsenal took a big step toward their first Premier League title since 2004 with a 1-0 win at the London Stadium, but the focus shifted to a late VAR decision. West Ham’s Callum Wilson had a goal ruled out after the video assistant referee, Darren England, decided Pablo fouled Arsenal’s goalkeeper, David Raya. This decision left West Ham just one point behind Tottenham in the fight against relegation, while Arsenal extended their lead at the top to five points.
People’s reactions were split. Some pointed out that several other fouls seemed to happen in the same area during the game. This kind of debate has been common this season. Arsenal fans, understandably, focused on the clear foul that was called. On talkSPORT, Simon Jordan criticized Keown for not being neutral on the issue.
Keown said, “There were actually three fouls on the goalkeeper Raya. One was an elbow to his face, and his arm was being held. I think the referees made the right call. It was fair in the end.”
Keown also seemed to think that some arguments against his view come from people not wanting Arsenal to win the league, perhaps because of how popular Manchester City are. Jordan wasn’t convinced and pushed back strongly.
Jordan said, “If the goal had been disallowed the other way, Arsenal fans would have been up in arms. It’s easy to be ‘objective’ when a decision goes your way, but that’s not true objectivity—it’s personal bias.”
Jordan also noted how Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta, praised referees’ work after the game, which he found a bit too convenient.
Keown argued that pundits who support Manchester United were unhappy because Arsenal got the benefit from the decision. Jordan quickly dismissed this point, saying,
“That’s exactly how you lose your objectivity.”
He added, “There’s definitely a lack of fairness from some Arsenal pundits, like Keown and Ian Wright. They love their club, which is understandable since they played there. But media people should stay balanced and fair.”