Brazil boss questions Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus decision as club versus country row threatens to erupt
Tensions are set to simmer between Arsenal and the Brazil national team over player fitness disclosures, particularly that of Gabriel Jesus.
The 26-year-old has been sidelined from the Gunners' lineup following a hamstring injury in a 2-1 victory over Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League on October 24. The north London club have decided not to specify a recovery timeline for Jesus.
According to Mirror, this has roots in a prolonged recovery from knee surgery last season, a consequence of an injury incurred during the World Cup in Qatar. Jesus is also set to be absent from Arsenal's forthcoming encounter with Sevilla and potentially sidelined for the weekend's tussle with Burnley.
However, Brazil manager Fernando Diniz has made the audacious move of summoning the striker for national duties against South American rivals Colombia and Argentina.
In a pointed critique, Diniz reproached the Gunners for their previous communications about Gabriel Martinelli, basing their Jesus decision on it. He said (via Mirror):
“In the last squad, we hadn’t called up Martinelli from Arsenal. He didn’t report to the CBF in a very complete way, so we didn’t imagine that Martinelli would be ready to play against Venezuela and Uruguay and he was ready to play before our games."
Notably, Martinelli enjoyed a subsequent swift return, scoring the decider against Manchester City. This intensified Diniz's skepticism, causing him to push for Gabriel Jesus:
"Because of this too, we’re going to bring Gabriel in to find out his real condition, because we still have 15 days to go until the games, so we believe he could be fit enough to play, because I like him a lot. We have 24 players on the list, and if anything happens to him we won’t need to change the squad.”
Arsenal's technical director Edu is slated to convene with CBF officials to deliberate on Jesus' situation.
Mikel Arteta resolute on stance over contentious Anthony Gordon goal as Arsenal appeal for refereeing scrutiny
Following the contentious goal in the Gunners' 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on November 4, manager Mikel Arteta has reiterated his criticisms of the officiating. Post-match reflections saw Arteta labeling the VAR-validated goal as "disgraceful" and "embarrassing".
The VAR checked if the ball crossed the line, if Anthony Gordon was offside, and a potential foul on Gabriel Magalhaes by Joelinton. However, the officials ultimately upheld the goal at St. James' Park.
Facing the press prior to Arsenal's Champions League engagement with Sevilla on November 8, Arteta affirmed (via Sky Sports):
"It is my duty to stand in front of you, the cameras, and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happens in the game. That's what I did. I reflected very openly how I felt the team played, and how the game was conditioned by the decisions which were made."
Arsenal's subsequent formal statement rallied behind Arteta in slamming the decision to let the goal stand. The club also issued a call for the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to promptly confront and rectify perceived lapses in officiating standards.