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Declan Rice claims Atletico Madrid fans ‘provoked’ referee to overturn ‘clear penalty’ for Arsenal

The Independent·Philip Duncan·about 1 month ago
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Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has doubled down on Mikel Arteta’s penalty outrage by insisting his team should have been awarded a “clear” spot-kick – and claimed the referee at the centre of the controversy was “provoked” to change his mind by Atletico Madrid’s hostile fans. Arteta was incandescent after his side’s 1-1 draw in the opening leg of their Champions League semi-final in the Spanish capital on Wednesday after referee Danny Makkelie overturned his original decision to award the visitors a late penalty when Eberechi Eze was upended in the area. Under Atletico manager Diego Simeone’s animated glare, and against the backdrop of 70,000 whistling Atletico fans, Dutch referee Makkelie watched the incident 13 times before reversing his on-pitch verdict. Reflecting on the contentious decision, Rice insisted: “It’s a clear penalty. And I don’t know how that’s not been given. “I think the fans provoked the decision and changed the ref’s mind. “Uefa is totally different (to the Premier League).…

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