Expert panel clears Gabriel after boot catches Emi Martinez in the face at Emirates

An independent panel has unanimously backed officials’ decision not to send off Arsenal defender Gabriel after his left boot struck Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the face during the Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium on September 6.

The Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel reviewed the incident, in which Gabriel’s boot caught Martinez while a group of players scrambled for a loose ball, and fully endorsed the on-field call made by referee Chris Kavanagh. VAR Darren England had already supported Kavanagh’s decision to take no action at the time.

“The panel unanimously supported the referee’s call of no red card,” the panel report confirmed on Wednesday. “Multiple players were on the ground competing and challenging for the loose ball and the action of Gabriel was not deemed to be an act of violent conduct or serious foul play.”

The KMI panel comprises three former players and coaches, one Premier League representative, and one representative from Pro Ref.

The ruling is one of two officiating matters Arsenal have sought clarification on in recent days. The club contacted Pro Ref earlier this week regarding a penalty awarded against them in their Premier League fixture against Sunderland on September 12, in which Ezri Konsa was penalised for holding Dan Ballard. Head coach Mikel Arteta described that decision as “unacceptable”.

Both incidents arrive during a period of heightened scrutiny on VAR in the Premier League, following the controversy surrounding Erling Haaland’s goal in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Sunday. The goal stood despite Enzo Fernandez being in an offside position and adjudged to have interfered with play — an omission Pro Ref subsequently acknowledged as “an error of judgement” by the VAR team.

“The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland — that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position,” a Pro Ref spokesperson said. “In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.”

Pro Ref confirmed it had contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the error and that a review of the incident would take place.