Ex-refs chief reacts to incident that left Arsenal fans fuming vs Bayer Leverkusen

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(Credit: Imago) Wed 11 March 2026 19:35, UK Referee Halil Meler was right not to send Robert Andrich off for an early foul as Arsenal drew 1-1 away at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday night. VISIT THE ARSENAL MATCH HUBKeith Hackett backs referee amid Robert Andrich controversyAndrich was shown a yellow card inside the first two minutes by referee Meler, when he was penalised for a foul on Viktor Gyokeres on the edge of the hosts’ box.

The Turkish referee awarded a free-kick to Arteta’s side, but allowed Andrich to escape further punishment, and he went on to score a crucial goal in the tie. Their supporters were seething with Meler’s decision not to give Andrich his marching orders, and their frustrations grew even further when he put their team behind in the tie.

Andrich gets away with alot.— CarloM (@Carluccio69) March 11, 2026 View Tweet Robert Andrich, booked in the first two minutes, is lucky to have avoided a second yellow card after another cynical foul. 🧐— afcstuff (@afcstuff) March 11, 2026 View Tweet Andrich scores when he shouldn't even be on the pitch.Great.— Sportswashed (@SportsWashed49) March 11, 2026 View Tweet One supporter took to X to suggest that the referee had “bottled” a big decision in favour of the home team, while another labelled the challenge from Andrich as “cynical.”Another fan outlined that Andrich “shouldn’t even be on the pitch” after he headed his side infront. However, Arsenal’s frustrations did little to alter the outcome of the game, as Arteta’s men battled back to return home on level terms in the tie. 💰 ARSENAL INSIDER UPDATE 💰 Inside the transfer budget, player wages, new kits, off-pitch deals and boardroom developments at Emirates Stadium.