Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been branded a 'hypocrite' by Arsenal supporters after comments he made following his side's 1-1 Champions League draw with PSG.
The Magpies were denied a famous victory in the Parc des Princes by a controversial injury time penalty decision, which was later ruled by UEFA to be incorrect.
The ball struck Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento on the arm, which was deemed to be a penalty. Kylian Mbappe stepped up and fired his spot kick in on 98 minutes to break Magpies hearts.
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And Howe was livid with the decision, stating in his post-match interview with TNT Sports: "That's a frustrating thing [that a penalty wasn't given in a similar situation earlier on in the game].
"Whether the referee's, you know, he's under pressure with every decision here with the crowd, which you may not be aware of at home, that the pressure put on the referee by the crowd was extreme.
"You know, it's the last seconds of the game and he's given it."
Pundit Ally McCoist then added his belief that Newcastle were 'robbed' by what he described as a 'horrendous' decision, although said he thought the referee had a good game until then.
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Howe replied: "I think you summed it up better than me because I'm not allowed to."
Arsenal fans, however, dubbed the Newcastle boss a 'hypocrite', given his recent comments on referees ahead of the Daily Mail's 'Stop Abusing Referees' campaign - which focused especially on the behaviour of Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
Howe commented: "I think restrictions being brought in and punishments being more severe is the only way to go to try and improve that.
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"I do think there is a willing from everyone in the game to do that, I don't see the opposite. It's just creating the culture that we need to."
One Arsenal fan took to X (Twitter) to fume: "And the next game Howe is moaning about referee decisions and even questioning the ref's integrity!
"What an absolute hypocrite. No credibility."
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Another wrote: "I'm surprised how naive he's been."
Other fans, though, defended Howe: "He doesn't have to agree with the decision, but he didn't say a single thing derogatory or otherwise against the officiating."
Thoughts on Howe's comments? Let us know in the comments.
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Topics: Eddie Howe, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, Champions League, Arsenal, Fan Reactions
