Mikel Arteta’s stance on Fabio Vieira red card one week after blazing VAR row

A week after losing his temper over the video assistant referee during the Gunners’ victory over Burnley, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was considerably more lenient with the official after the controversy at Newcastle.

Mikel Arteta gave the video assistant referee two positive votes notwithstanding Fabio Vieira’s red card on Saturday against Burnley.

Fans online criticized Portugal international Vieira for his “braindead” challenge on Josh Brownhill, which resulted in his dismissal late in Arsenal’s 3-1 victory. However, Arteta stated that he supported the decision to terminate his player, notwithstanding the Gunners’ current need to maintain maximum effort.

It follows the Spaniard’s outburst following last weekend’s 1-0 loss at Newcastle, in which the VAR allowed Anthony Gordon’s goal after four minutes of deliberation. Arteta expressed strong discontent with the officials in the aftermath, but held an entirely different opinion regarding Vieira’s untimely departure.

“Yes, thank you for asking; VAR was correct with the red card,” he responded to reporters following Saturday’s victory. “The referee made the correct call. Outstanding decision. Very encouraging to hear Mikel speak positively on the subject. Indeed, that was a wise decision.”

Arteta’s remarks were evidently delivered with a considerable degree of cynicism, possibly emulating the approach taken by Pep Guardiola, his former mentor and the current manager of Manchester City. Nevertheless, scoring such points is considerably more convenient when supported by a three-point tally.

This stands in striking contrast to Arteta’s response following the Newcastle defeat, where he deemed the VAR result “incomprehensible” and added that it “made me sick to my stomach to be a part of this.” Following the outcome, Arsenal “completely supported” their manager’s remarks and compiled a list of arguments to present to PGMOL.

Despite the fact that Vieira appeared to have no intention of harming Brownhill at the Emirates, his attempt to studs-up was not aesthetically pleasing. Nonetheless, his departure will be difficult to accept given that Arsenal are already lacking midfielders.

Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, and Captain Martin Odegaard were all absent from the hosts’ midfield options in their match against Burnley. Meanwhile, injured striker Gabriel Jesus was replaced up front by Leandro Trossard, and Eddie Nketiah made a late cameo off the bench.

Irrespective of Arteta’s sentiments regarding Vieira’s dismissal, the Arsenal forward will not be among the club’s imminent targets when competition resumes following the international break. The in-charge VAR, on the other hand, will be ecstatic not to have experienced the full force of his ire this week.