We're being targeted... Regulation and Discipline update on @Arsenal: pic.twitter.com/mScJrlk2vL— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) January 12, 2023
This is very much on the referee, he didn’t control the game. Arsenal we’re getting mugged and Oxford were only assessed one yellow card all game, so there was a level of frustration rising. But beyond that, if it was really worse than any of the multiple appeals for penalties we see every weekend he could have pulled the Arsenal Captain aside and yellow carded the captain or the worst protester for descent, warned the rest of the players and resumed the game. The FA itself could control this behavior, in all instances, by enforcing a rule that only the captain can talk to the referee and carding anyone else whose protests get out of hand. Finally, Arsenal should appeal this by putting together a video of multiple teams protesting calls or non calls and asking why they weren’t charged.
There is a reply to that tweet with multiple still shots from Liverpool & Newcastle "swarming" the ref just as bad or worse than us. Yet we are the only ones punished?
What would be the problem with a new rule that says it is an automatic yellow card to approach the ref unless the player is wearing the captain's armband? I don't think anyone likes swarming the ref. If a player think the call was wrong or VAR needs to be check, tell the captain and there are at most 2 players talking to the ref. It would take some common sense, a player should still be able to walk past the ref without saying anything. But it seems like it would do more to prevent this than these haphazardly applied sanctions.
I really think referees don't want that rule in place. Confrontations get them on TV, calm conversations with the captains don't. Referees are already well within their rights to take matters into their own hands and card every asshole who sprints at them. They don't because they like the attention. It's the only thing that makes sense to me, because it's such an easy fix.