Overview
- Early this month Gabriel Magalhaes made contact with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s face during a crowded scramble at the Emirates and play continued while Martinez received medical treatment.
- The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel issued two unanimous 5-0 votes on September 16 that the on-field referee’s decision was correct and that VAR correctly chose not to intervene.
- The panel said multiple players were on the ground competing for a loose ball and concluded Gabriel’s follow-through did not amount to violent conduct or serious foul play.
- The review also confirmed the match’s key offside and goal decisions, including the check that ruled out Riccardo Calafiori’s effort and the onside call for Kai Havertz’s strike.
- Despite the official clearance, social media outrage and pundit criticism have persisted and the episode has renewed calls for clearer VAR guidance and greater transparency from officiating bodies while reports disagreed on which referee handled the game.