Declan Rice and Arsenal sweating over potential ban as UEFA verdict on referee blast to come
Arsenal were left unhappy after a penalty was overturned during the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg
08:46, 01 May 2026Updated 09:23, 01 May 2026
Arsenal star Declan Rice could face a UEFA punishment(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal face a nervous wait to discover if Declan Rice’s comments after the draw with Atletico Madrid will result in a punishment from UEFA. The Gunners were held to a 1-1 stalemate with the La Liga outfit in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring from the penalty spot for Arsenal before Julian Alvarez equalised for Atletico with a spot-kick at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.
The draw means that a win for Arsenal in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday will see Mikel Arteta’s side progress to the final in Budapest, where Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich will be the opponents.
However, Arsenal were on the receiving end of a controversial VAR decision in the closing stages in Madrid when a penalty was overturned.
READ MORE: Declan Rice and Gabriel argument spotted as Arsenal’s Champions League fury spills overREAD MORE: Mikel Arteta coy on Jurrien Timber as injury return timeline explained for Arsenal star
Eberechi Eze was deemed to have been fouled by David Hancko, and a spot-kick was awarded by referee Danny Makkelie, only for the decision to be reversed following a VAR check.
Rice gave his verdict on the incident, believing it was an error to reverse the decision.
“Ebs’ one is a clear penalty,” Rice is quoted as telling The Sun.
“So I don’t know how that’s not been given. I think that the fans provoked the decision and changed the ref’s mind.”
UEFA are now waiting for Makkelie to submit the official report from the match before deciding whether or not to take action following Rice’s comments.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
However, if Rice has been deemed to have questioned the integrity of the referee, the Arsenal star could be in line for a punishment from UEFA. This could be in the form of a ban that may see the midfielder miss the second leg against Atletico next week.
Rice ban chances explained
John Cross writes for the Mirror, football.london’s sister title, that Rice would could have been sanctioned by the Premier League if his comments were made after a domestic top flight game.
“Gunners midfielder Declan Rice claimed on TV that the referee might have been influenced by the home crowd and, while that could imply bias under Premier League rules, it would be most unusual for UEFA to step in,” he said.
On the controversy surrounding Atleti boss Diego Simeone’s antics on the touchline, Cross adds: “Meanwhile, Diego Simeone’s reaction on the touchline as the officials reviewed VAR footage around referee Danny Makkelie changing his mind on a penalty could potentially land him in trouble.
“That would depend on the fourth official alerting the referee to the issue and him then including it in his report. UEFA may ask the VAR team for feedback after Makkelie viewed the screen footage 13 times before changing his mind.
“That is out of step with VAR only getting involved in clear errors but Mikel Arteta’s post-match complaints have probably made his point ahead of the second leg.”
