Arsenal to 'contact' Pro Ref over Sunderland penalty incident: What happens next?

By Ben Knapton | 14 Sep 2026 13:23, Last updated: 14 Sep 2026 13:23

Arsenal will reportedly contact the Premier League's governing body for referees - Pro Ref - over the controversial awarding of a penalty to Sunderland in Saturday's top-flight victory.

The Gunners maintained their 100% record for the 2026-27 season with a 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light, courtesy of second-half goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka after David Raya kept out Enzo Le Fee's penalty.

However, Mikel Arteta was in no celebratory mood at full time, as the Arsenal manager slammed the "unacceptable" decision to award the Black Cats the spot kick in the first place.

Referee John Brooks pointed to the spot after Ezri Konsa was deemed to have brought down Daniel Ballard at a corner, and the VAR room - comprising Stuart Attwell and Edward Smart - backed up their colleague's decision.

Brooks claimed at the time that Konsa was "all over Ballard facing the wrong way", although replays showed that the Arsenal defender's eyes were fixed on the ball, while Ballard appeared to drag the Englishman down in what Arteta described as a "judo roll".

Now, The Athletic claims that Arsenal will get in touch with Pro Ref to ask about the incident, at a time when the officials' body is already under major scrutiny following the Enzo Fernandez farce in the Manchester derby.

Pro Ref admitted an "error of judgement" after Erling Haaland's winner for Manchester City against Manchester United was wrongfully given, as Fernandez was in an offside position when Josko Gvardiol's cross came in.

Haaland also appeared to have gone beyond the last defender, although replays showed that Patrick Dorgu's foot was keeping the Norwegian onside before he swept home at the back post.

Haaland's goal was initially ruled out for offside by the linesman, but the VAR room - who did not recommend an on-field review to Michael Oliver - ascertained that the offside Fernandez did not interfere with play, despite the midfielder lunging forward and attempting to head the ball.

Man United have now received an apology from Pro Ref, who said in their statement that the VAR officials on duty "did not recognise the likely impact of his (Fernandez’s) position and should have recommended an on-field review."

Arsenal contacting Pro Ref suggests that the Gunners are seeking a formal explanation for Brooks's decision - at the very least - and in an ideal world, an admission of an error and an apology.

The penalty incident should also be referred to the Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel, a five-strong group made up of former players/coaches, as well as representatives from Pro Ref and the Premier League.

Should the panel decide that Brooks wrongly awarded the penalty, Arsenal will receive an apology from Pro Ref, and the KMI panel's verdict will be made public regardless of the outcome of the investigation.

The verdict will not change the result, but there is a chance the Brooks and/or Attwell could be dropped or moved to different roles for the next round of fixtures if they were found to have committed a serious mistake.

Get FREE daily news and in-depth previews for games from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football — straight to your inbox.