Arsenal’s complaint about the treatment of Bukayo Saka brings light to the double standards faced by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah

Arsenal’s complaint to PGMOL addresses the ‘rough treatment’ of Bukayo Saka, emphasizing differing standards for Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah. The baffling complaint has brought up numerous debates about the clubs trying to influence the referees. Arsenal have already faced a lot of criticism for creating unnecessary conspiracy theories.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have faced the brunt of bad refereeing decisions throughout this season. The refereeing has posed Liverpool’s major challenge, with referees disallowing legitimate goals and shrugging off blatant handballs.

Pundits and fans have thoroughly debated three out of the four red cards that the Reds have received. Liverpool won an appeal for the red card against Alexis Mac Allister during the Reds’ 3-1 win over Bournemouth. The Reds failed to appeal for Diogo Jota’s red card as they were cumulation of two yellow cards against Tottenham Hotspur.

One of the yellow cards involved the Spurs’ Charity Udogie tackling himself and then asking the ref to book Jota. New rules dictate that players cannot gesture or demand a yellow card against their opponents.

Refereeing disparity: Mohamed Salah vs. Bukayo Saka

Salah has faced the double standards of the referee since joining Liverpool in the summer of 2017. Referees have consistently been reluctant to award decisions in favor of the 31-year-old despite his renowned dribbling skills.

This season, Salah ranks 12th in “Times Tackled During Takeons,” whereas Saka holds the sixth position in the same category. Salah has encountered 35 tackles during take-ons, whereas Saka has faced 38 tackles. With such a minute difference in this stat, one would assume that both have drawn similar number of fouls.

However, Saka ranks third in “Fouls Drawn” with 43 fouls, while Salah stands at 76th with 18 fouls. Despite both players’ ability to shield the ball and dribble past opponents, the difference in rankings is perplexing.

It is important to note that fouls drawn involve referees giving the decision in favour of the winger. Daily Mail reported that Arsenal wants referees to yellow card the opponent in the first offence against Saka. Referees refrain from showing the card on the first tackle unless it’s excessively clumsy or a tactical foul.

Referees frequently brush off the Egypt captain or instruct him to get up, a recurring occurrence. The baffling difference also further points toward the double standards foreign players have to face in the Premier League.

Last week, Liverpool forward Diogo Jota received vile scrutiny from fans and pundits for receiving a penalty against Newcastle United. Pundits like Alan Shearer, Gary Neville and John Terry bashed Jota for “diving despite Newcastle’s keeper accepting the penalty. These pundits have a history of defending British players, designating them as “clever” or explaining how they “earned the decision”.

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The baffling statistical difference further questions the integrity of referees and officials in the Premier League. Liverpool have already dropped too many points in the game where controversial decisions went against them. The Kopites desire fair decisions for Salah, let alone the preferential treatment sought for Saka by Arsenal.