Arsenal fans cannot believe what former Premier League referee Chris Foy has said about the controversial moment between Nicolas Pepe and Erik Pieters in the Gunners' 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday.
Late in the second half with Arsenal pushing for a winner, Pepe tried to nudge the ball past Pieters inside the penalty area.
Pieters had his left arm lifted away from his body and in an unnatural position. The ball struck his arm, preventing Pepe from progressing further into the area as a result.
However, not only were Arsenal's immediate calls for a penalty waved away by Andre Marriner, VAR official Kevin Friend agreed with the on-field call and chose not to overturn the decision.
And now Foy has expressed his agreement with Friend and Marriner's decision.
"There is no doubt the ball hits Erik Pieters’ arm and I understand why Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe would want a penalty," he wrote in the Mail on Sunday.
"But I’m happy the right decision was made by referee Andre Marriner and that it wasn’t a spot kick. It is to do with proximity and a lack of available reaction time.
"They are too close together. I understand why Marriner didn’t give it — it is a subjective call and it was not an obvious error."
Arsenal fans, though, cannot believe what Foy has said, bemused at the initial decision.
"Reaction time and proximity should not matter when you step toward the ball with arms stretched out. That's basically goalkeeping," one fan wrote in a Reddit thread discussing Foy's comments.
Another asked: "Has 'proximity and lack of available reaction time' ever been used as a reason for not giving a penalty before? Or is this just something that was made up yesterday?"
One fan complained: "So if this is the case, why doesn’t every defender extend their arms like this when defending?"
Meanwhile, fellow former Premier League referee Peter Walton admitted that he was surprised a penalty was not awarded based on similar decisions that have been made this season.
"I am slightly surprised actually that it wasn't given as a penalty kick, but I can understand the rationale behind it," Walton said on BT Sport.
"It's hit Pieters' hand, his arm is out and in a natural position for his stance of play. However, we have seen those given this season and the law doesn't change until next season.
"I'm a bit surprised that wasn't given."
