Premier League issues statement to explain why Declan Rice was sent off against Brighton after angry Arsenal fans fume at referee Chris Kavanagh
Declan Rice received the first red card of his career on Saturday when he was sent off in the 49th minute of Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton.
The Gunners midfielder was shown a yellow card in the first half for a late foul on Joel Veltman.
Defender Veltman was also involved in the incident, which saw Rice receive his second yellow card shortly after half-time.
Rice committed a foul on Veltman, who then kicked the Arsenal star, sending him to the ground.
Arsenal fans shouted at referee Chris Kavanagh, demanding that Veltman be sent off for violent conduct.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was sent off during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Brighton
Rice (centre) complains to referee Chris Kavanagh (right) at the Emirates Stadium
However, Kavanagh sent Rice off, while Veltman survived a brief VAR check for a possible red card.
Veltman looked to be trying to shoot the ball instead of Rice, but the former West Ham captain punched the ball away just before the Brighton player could take a quick free-kick.
The Premier League released a short statement via X (formerly Twitter) confirming why Rice had been punished.
It read: ‘The referee showed Declan Rice a second yellow card for delaying the restart.’
A player who kicks the ball away to waste time or prevent an opponent from taking a set piece has been a yellow card-worthy offence in the Premier League for over a decade.
Rice tapped the ball away with his right foot to prevent number 34 Joel Veltman from taking a quick free kick
However, the Eredivisie still mentioned kicking the ball away when an update with new rules was released ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The relevant message was at the bottom of a section on the multiball system, which stated that players would now have to retrieve the balls from strategically placed pawns, rather than directly from the ‘ball assistants’ (ball boys and ball girls).
The passage read: ‘It remains the case that members of staff in a club’s technical area who deliberately delay the resumption of play by holding the ball, kicking the ball away, etc., will be sent off the field.
‘Any player who does this in the instruction box will receive a yellow card.’
Despite Rice’s red card being according to the book, Arsenal fans took their anger out on Kavanagh for the rest of Saturday’s match, calling him a ‘w*****’ and booing him afterwards.
Arsenal star Rice appeared shocked and frustrated as he left the pitch after his dismissal
Referee Kavanagh was escorted off the pitch by security personnel after the final whistle on Saturday
Arsenal were 1-0 up when Rice was sent off thanks to a first-half goal from Kai Havertz.
But Brighton hit back against the 10-man Gunners when Joao Pedro equalised in the 58th minute.
Rice will now serve a one-match ban, which will see him miss Arsenal’s match against rivals Tottenham Hotspur on September 15.
