Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta furious at referee after losing Champions League final to PSG

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta criticised the referee after his side’s loss in the Champions League against PSG.

Speaking to TNT Sports (via Foot Mercato) in the post-match press conference, Mikel Arteta bashed the match referee for not giving a penalty on Noni Madueke, and for handing PSG the one which got converted by Ousmane Dembele. The Arsenal boss said, “Looking back at the footage, there was clearly a penalty. Things didn’t go the way we wanted. A penalty was awarded to PSG, no penalty was awarded to us for Madueke, and then the penalty shootout… It’s been 22 years since we last reached the Champions League final. We have to acknowledge the season we’ve had; we didn’t lose a single Champions League match (in open play), but for now, no one can erase our pain.”

The Spaniard has been largely confident in front of the media since his side’s qualification for the Champions League. He was seen in an upbeat mood a few days back when he issued a rallying cry to his players with the words, “I am convinced we are going to make history (against PSG).” However, a different approach from the 44-year-old coach was noted during last evening’s press conference as Arsenal finished as runners-up in the Champions League final.

Despite the criticism of the referee, Arteta was quick to congratulate his Spanish counterpart, Luis Enrique and PSG for a successful European campaign, calling Paris Saint-Germain “a superb team.”

PSG won the final on penalties, thanks to misses from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes.