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Arsenal to contact referee chiefs over 'unacceptable' penalty given against Ezri Konsa in 2-0 win over Sunderland
Sep 14 2026 16:49 · By Luke Power · 5 Reads
Arsenal will contact English football's refereeing body, Pro Ref, about Sunderland's penalty awarded after a VAR check on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta was incandescent at the decision to penalise Ezri Konsa for his tangle with Dan Ballard – despite the spot-kick being saved and his side winning 2-0.
He felt that Ballard had gripped Konsa in a 'judo roll', dragging the defender onto him to give the illusion of a foul. Referee John Brooks awarded it before VAR confirmed his decision.
Now the Gunners will contact Pro Ref for an explanation. The body have already had to apologise to Manchester United for the erroneous VAR call to let Erling Haaland's goal stand in the derby this weekend.
Arteta, who was booked in the match for leaving his technical area, flew off the handle in his post-match interview.
'It is unacceptable at this level. Unacceptable,' he told TNT Sports.
Arsenal have contacted Pro Ref for an explanation of why Sunderland were awarded a penalty
Mikel Arteta was angry that Dan Ballard's 'judo roll' on Ezri Konsa won the Cats Black a penalty
'This can change the course of the season, the championship. I've watched it 10 times to make sure.
'The 27 years I've been in football, it's not a penalty in any case, in any context, at any level, in any league.
'I watched it live, and I thought it was not possible to make this kind of decision for a penalty, because it's a judo roll, that's what it is. It cannot happen.'
He added: 'How can this be a penalty? I don’t know. I cannot find an explanation, honestly. That’s why I’m going to try to find an explanation now.
'I want to talk about the game, how good we were, how good Sunderland was, and the level of the league, and how beautiful this is. We should never be talking about this.'
Arteta's strength of feeling was not muted by the fact that David Raya saved Enzo Le Fee's effort from 12 yards, nor the fact that Bruno Guimaraes scored Arsenal’s stunning opener just two minutes later.
Bukayo Saka also got on the scoresheet from the spot deep in added time after Reinildo Mandava was sent off for pulling the forward's shirt.