Ian Wright aims dig at Premier League referee for Declan Rice red card: ‘That’s why Arsenal fans have got the hump!’

Declan Rice kicked the ball away during a Brighton free-kick (Picture: Getty)

Ian Wright has described Chris Kavanagh as a referee with ‘main-character energy’ and has slammed him for sending off Declan Rice against Brighton.

The Arsenal midfielder was shown a red card in the 49th minute of the 1-1 draw at the Emirates on Saturday, as the Gunners dropped two points in north London.

Rice kicked the ball away as Joel Veltman was about to take a free kick, in what was his second booking offence, after being handed a yellow earlier in the match.

While Arsenal legend Wright believes Rice will feel ‘a little disappointed’, the former striker has directed his frustrations towards Kavanagh over the incident.

‘You have to take the point,’ Wright told Premier League Productions. ‘I do think Declan (Rice) will look at the two yellows and be a little disappointed.

‘But, at the same time, when you look at the refereeing and some of the decisions he (Chris Kavanagh) made. I think this referee had main-character energy anyway.

‘At the same time, when people (Joao Pedro) are kicking the ball away in the first half and you aren’t booking them, then you kind of do feel a little aggrieved by that.

‘This is why I think people were so upset. That challenge, yes, (Rice’s first yellow card). It’s one of those challenges where he has made a genuine attempt to get the ball, but you get booked for that.

‘But then here (second yellow). You look at Veltman and what he is doing there. Veltman is trying to get him booked. Veltman has nobody to pass the ball to.

‘He knows exactly what he is doing. Those are the things VAR can look at. He knows what he is doing. He is trying to get him sent off.

‘Declan Rice doesn’t have to kick the ball, but at the same time, Declan is playing the game, but so is Veltman. You can recognise what Declan is doing, but you aren’t supposed to recognise what Veltman is doing?!

‘He’s not actually looking to pass that to anyone. He’s acting like he is going to do it, so if it hits Declan, then he gets booked and he is off.

‘And that’s what happened – if we are going to be doing stuff like that with people kicking the ball away, then do that in the first half with Joao Pedro.

‘The ball went out of play and he still blasted the ball away. Do that as well. I don’t care about an apologetic face (from the referee when he had to send Rice off) and that. Do it properly all the way. That’s why Arsenal fans have got the hump.’

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