Gary Neville accuses Mikel Arteta of influencing Arsenal fans to slam ‘corrupt and cheating’ referees

Gary Neville accuses Mikel Arteta of influencing Arsenal fans to slam ‘corrupt and cheating’ referees amid the Myles Lewis-Skelly red card.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he said: “They [Arsenal fans] use language like corruption, which means they think he’s getting paid and bought off – which is obviously not the case.

“We [at Manchester United] lived in a club which created a siege mentality about the referees.

“Arsenal are doing a bit of that as well – there’s no doubt that what Arsenal do is inflame the situation after the game rather than calm it down, they’ve done that for 12 months – but we can’t say that’s wrong having played in the dressing room that we did.

“The difference is now with social media, when we were playing back in the day and doing similar things with referees, we weren’t inflaming what would be a cause of corruption on social media.

“Now you have a sway of Arsenal’s anger, which comes from the players and from Mikel Arteta, and prominent fans.

“You now have a social media wave now which goes towards [allegations of] corruption and cheating.

“In our day, we couldn’t have that much influence – everyone was at home without a phone, and didn’t have Twitter.”

Those on the latest Stick to Football episode debated the Lewis Skelly red card, referee criticism and death threats, Arsenal’s reaction to refereeing decisions and social media’s impact on referee perception.

Have a watch of it below…

Arteta’s said on the abuse: “Regardless of whether it is a player or a coach, a referee — it does not matter.

“We shouldn’t be here with this hatred, these things we see, because they affect everyone and in the end, they take away the joy of this sport.

“We have to really work harder to try to eradicate that part of the game that brings nothing but bad stuff, bad taste and it makes people’s lives more difficult. Let’s get it out, let’s kick it out.

“For everyone in football. You should not be permitted [to do that]. We don’t want it, we don’t need it and it certainly damages our sport.

“We are talking about it, but no one seems to be moving strongly enough because it’s just unacceptable. Why haven’t we done it?

“We’re always putting a lot of emphasis on where football is going in the next five, ten years; on the rules, and all that sort of thing.

“But the most important thing we can do is create an environment that’s much better at a social level: one that’s healthier, that’s nicer.

“Reward things that are not only winning, that when people make mistakes they have the chance to make amends.”

🗣️ Gary Neville on the Myles Lewis-Skelly red card: “I think they’ve [Arsenal fans] become so entitled!” 😳❌

“I just feel like every time Arsenal have a decision against them, there is a definite exaggeration from Arsenal and their cohort of people in their sphere.” 🗣️😬 pic.twitter.com/XgxEUS8K7K

— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) January 30, 2025

He said: “Think don’t think it was the worst decision I’ve ever seen in the world. And what one thing I will say is, and to be fair, I’m not bothered because Arsenal fans are not great fans of me anyway, but I think they’ve become so entitled.

“Honestly, is it I asked them, I mean, playing against Wolves. Wolves got more bad decisions against them in the last fifteen months than any other club in the country, it feels like. They had some shockers against them last season.

“I just feel like every time I still have a decision against them, it was a bad decision. But there is a definite exaggeration from Arsenal and their cohort of people in their sort of sphere about every time they have a decision go against them. It’s like the end of the world.

Jamie Carragher: “I’ve seen it, me big pal, big Meeks [Micah Richards], saying it’s the worst decision he’s he’s ever seen in Premier League history. That’s how I hope. I need to have a word to him.

“But I think it must have come from the fact that he’s he’s almost got it in his head before he’s seen it. Everyone had heard about it before he’s actually seen it.

“So there was something in people’s heads about, like, this decision is the worst decision. And I think the situation I still find themselves in the league is that it feels like the one game away from a crisis, even though they’re having a really good season.

“But because Liverpool are where they are and it’s not Man City, there’s this frustration and this anger that, like, this was supposed to be us, and it feels like every game is on the edge.”

Twitter users reacted as Gary Neville accuses Mikel Arteta of influencing Arsenal fans to slam ‘corrupt and cheating’ referees…

@TommyFulf: Does he not understand Oliver is subjective in his decisions with our games. He over penalises us for decisions and is more lenient with the other teams. Kovacic last year, MLS this year. Trossard this year, Gomis this year. 2 examples where his decisions were complete opposites

@1CallumStirling: What a surprise, Neville has been wheeled out to defend the officials even though everyone else agrees they got it wrong and on appeal the decision was overturned. Typical Gary.

@chuckdavie: Look it was just one mistake, people need to get over it. Just like Trossard’s red was one mistake, and Kovacic (twice) was one mistake, the Martinelli two cards in 7 seconds was just one mistake.

@SixFootTwo: Unusually – both Neville and Carragher are spot on here!

@DaveBest07: He’s absolutely right. Arsenal cry a lot for nothing

@TheFalseNein: “Entitled” to fair officiating? Yes, I think every club is entitled to that. More garbage from the Sky mouthpieces, trying to flip the narrative. Don’t want to lose your buddy Howard Webb for your next podcast 💔

@garythegooner56: Absolute garbage spouted again from dumb and dumber

@Jonny_Dutch: The cheek of this man to call us entitled 😂 he spent his entire career, led by his manager Ferguson, intimidating cheating and influencing refs ensuring they received favourable refereeing decisions whilst chasing titles but he can’t get his head around why we dispute awful decisions whilst we chase a title?

@AFC_Legend2: Arsenal get a bad decision – we over react on X and are called self entitled. Utd get a bad decision – Threatened a car bomb……. silence. We are better for @GNev2 PR than his own team. What a cxxt 😅🤣

@Wanalyst007: These 2 “pundits”/”analysts” keep quiet for 3 days so as to not get caught as PGMOL mouthpieces in the aftermath of that red card and then come out with this bull crap. The agenda has never been more clear

@Liam_Reay83: He’s right. It’s because their manager is a dickhead baby who can’t accept anything going against him so the players and fans act the same way. The irony here is it should sound familiar to Gary Neville given he played for the biggest whinging prick of them all.

@ReeceSimpsonnn: Not quite sure how he thinks he is entitled to an opinion when he played for a team that refs favoured 99% of the time

@deejafc: 2 Sky mouthpieces on the deflection tactics. All Arsenal hate, no PGMOL accountability. How about address the alleged car bomb threats that came after their 2 teams played against eachother. I’m sure that’s more egregious than social media.

@AaronJoeyy: He absolutely adored us when we were shit, long may he spew this bitter horse piss

@Shez_av: He’s spot on

@boringJoePatch: What a surprise. Wheeled out by Howard Webb to gaslight fans into thinking that we shouldn’t hold referees to account for terrible standards. It’s boring.