Ex-referee Scott names Arteta the hardest Premier League manager to deal with

Former Premier League referee Graham Scott has named Mikel Arteta the hardest manager he ever dealt with on a matchday, admitting the Arsenal boss “gets away with rather too much” — and that officials, including Scott himself, have been too lenient in policing him.

Speaking on The Athletic, Scott — who spent a decade officiating in the Premier League — said his experience as a fourth official made Arteta his biggest headache. “He is the hardest work and he really does push all of the limits all of the time,” Scott said. “I don’t mind that in many ways — he’s trying to get a competitive advantage for his team. That’s fine. It is part of his job, and he’s entitled to push those limits and it is for us to police them.”

Scott pointed to a specific moment from Arsenal’s recent match against Everton to illustrate his point. “Every time Everton had the ball anywhere near the touchline on his side, he was joining in the press,” he said. “His toes were on the touchline and as a fourth official that’s a nightmare. Because if you step forward and do anything about it you’re being pedantic, you’re being petty, but by the time you get there the ball’s moved on. He does get away with rather too much. The officials do need to be a bit tighter, and I was one of them who let him do that — I’m not going to deny that.”

Arteta, who led Arsenal to the Premier League title — their first in 22 years — has previously acknowledged that he sometimes steps over the line, but has argued that other managers offend far more frequently and face little or no punishment. The Spaniard has claimed he has been compiling his own evidence to support that case.

“I do have to be careful. They should put sensors there,” Arteta said. “There are managers who have the record in the league — 36 times in 10 minutes they leave the touchline, no yellows. I am clipping all of that so I have now a massive storage of images, so if somebody comes to me…”

The debate over how strictly technical area rules are enforced has simmered in English football for several seasons, with managers routinely straying onto the pitch during play. Scott’s comments are notable precisely because he implicates himself in the inconsistency, conceding that referees and fourth officials have collectively allowed the standard to slip.