Takehiro Tomiyasu becomes first Arsenal player to speak out after VAR controversy against Newcastle

Takehiro Tomiyasu has become the first Arsenal player to speak out after Mikel Arteta's passionate rant regarding Premier League officiating.

The Gunners suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday after Anthony Gordon's goal was eventually awarded following three separate VAR checks.

Addressing the officiating after the game, Arteta slammed the Premier League for their "disgraceful" refereeing decisions during a scathing three-minute attack.

Arsenal full-back Tomiyasu has subsequently been asked for his take on the decisions, but was far more reserved in his response. You can listen to what he said below.

When asked if VAR was improving the game from a player's perspective, Tomiyasu replied: “I don’t know to be honest, but it’s better not to say a lot of things because I’m a player! My job is to play and perform on the pitch - that’s it.”

As the dust settles on the weekend's drama, Arsenal host Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday as Arteta hopes to return to winning ways.

Topics: Arsenal, Football, Mikel Arteta, Newcastle United, Premier League, VAR

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno