Mikel Arteta to miss end of Arsenal season through injury

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta will miss the remainder of the season with ankle ligament damage.

The Spaniard picked up the injury during Arsenal's shock 2-1 defeat by Wigan on Monday and left the Emirates Stadium on crutches.

While subsequent scans have revealed no break, the ligament damage is serious enough to rule the 30-year-old out of Arsenal's four remaining matches.

The Gunners still have Chelsea, Stoke, Norwich and West Brom to play.

Arsenal run-in

21 Apr	Chelsea (h)
28 Apr	Stoke (a)
5 May	Norwich (h)
13 May	West Brom (a)

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With Jack Wilshere also out for the season, Abou Diaby struggling for match fitness and Yossi Benayoun ineligible to face Chelsea on Saturday as he is on loan from the Blues, manager Arsene Wenger has been left with a selection headache.

Aaron Ramsey is the most likely to come into the side in place of Arteta, with Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alex Song making up the rest of the Arsenal midfield.

Wenger has warned his players of the importance of the match against Chelsea, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in position to take advantage of any Arsenal slip-up in the race to finish in the top four to gain a Champions League place
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Former World Cup referee Clive Thomas criticises standards

A former top-level British referee has criticised modern officials following a string of controversial decisions in the Premier League over Easter weekend.

Ex-World Cup referee Clive Thomas said: "I've lost faith in referees. I think refs are missing things."

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QPR manager Mark Hughes and Wigan boss Roberto Martinez both spoke out after key incidents went against their sides in the battle to avoid relegation.

"You should have confidence that referees will get key decisions right," said Hughes after the final whistle. "Just lately a lot of managers have lost faith in them."

Welshman Thomas, 75, refereed at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, and the 1976 European Championships.

And he reckons Hughes is "100% right" to question referees' abilities following the dismissal of Shaun Derry during Rangers' 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

Thomas said: "We haven't got our act together at all.

"I don't see that the referees of today are even in the right positions to give right decisions. That concerns me.

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"Referees today are concerned, it seems, far more about what the assessors think of them, and are not thinking how to referee a game.

"It never worried me what the assessors would say."

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli was sent for two bookable offences in the defeat by Arsenal on Sunday, but much post-match coverage focused on a challenge on Alex Song which went unpunished.

Thomas said: "That tackle was a disgrace. The studs were up and went on the player's leg. He should have been sent off then but he wasn't.

"The referee was right there. If he didn't see it, why didn't he see it? That would be my concern if I was the referee.

"I was far better than modern refs. British referees were better than they are today.
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