Arsenal manager Arteta asks supporters to refrain from taunting after Lewis-Skelly’s red card was revoked

Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, was happy when Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card was revoked, but he took issue with the taunts that supporters directed at referee Michael Oliver.

The FA overruled Oliver’s decision to send Lewis-Skelly off in Saturday’s 1-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers, sparing the 18-year-old from a three-match punishment.

Pundits and supporters blasted Lewis-Skelly’s expulsion after he tripped Wolves’ Matt Doherty during a counterattack prior to halftime. VAR upheld the decision.

Police were looking into insults and threats against Oliver after the game, according to the PGMOL, the referees’ authority.

“Obviously (we are) really happy that the decision has been made, and Myles is going to be available for us,” Arteta said Tuesday in a conversation with media.

“It makes no difference when I discuss (trash) a coach or player. We must make every effort to remove it from the game. Certainly, it hurts our sport. So let’s get it out.

We concentrate on how football has changed over the past five years and where it is going. Making a better social environment is, in my opinion, one significant advancement we can make.

“We don’t need to keep this hatred; it removes the beauty of the sport.”

Even though the Catalan team was eliminated early in their first European campaign, Arteta was full of admiration for their opponents when Arsenal faced Girona in their last league-phase Champions League match on Wednesday.

“I think this is a beautiful story, especially in the way that they’ve done it,” Arteta said of Girona, who went third in La Liga the previous season.

It demonstrates that you can achieve great things if you have a clear vision. Because I adore the coach and the squad, I watched every game they played in their group stage.

They were very competing against the big names, so I need to get to know them well. They did not receive the outcome they were due.

To guarantee their spot in the Round of 16 and avoid a two-leg playoff, the north London squad, now ranked third in the 36-team Champions League standings with 16 points, has to draw.

“We have been very close to big titles in the last few years but that’s very difficult in football,” Arteta continued. “Tomorrow we must earn our qualification.”