Gary Neville accuses Mikel Arteta of influencing Arsenal fans to claim referees are 'corrupt and cheating' - as he defends under-fire Michael Oliver

Gary Neville has accused Mikel Arteta of fueling Arsenal fans' growing hostility towards referees, warning that the club's approach is contributing to a toxic online culture.

The pundit's comments come in the wake of referee Michael Oliver receiving death threats and abuse following Arsenal's controversial 1-0 win over Wolves last weekend.

Speaking about the reaction to Oliver's performance, Neville highlighted how Arsenal's rhetoric—particularly from Arteta and prominent fans—has led to dangerous accusations of corruption against referees.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Neville said: 'They [Arsenal fans] use language like corruption, which means they think he's getting paid and bought off – which is obviously not the case.

'We [at Manchester United] lived in a club which created a siege mentality about the referees. Arsenal are doing a bit of that as well – there's no doubt that what Arsenal do is inflame the situation after the game rather than calm it down, they've done that for 12 months – but we can't say that's wrong having played in the dressing room that we did.'

'The difference is now with social media, when we were playing back in the day and doing similar things with referees, we weren't inflaming what would be a cause of corruption on social media.

Gary Neville has accused Mikel Arteta of fueling Arsenal fans' growing hostility towards referees, warning that the club's approach is contributing to a toxic online culture

Oliver controversially sent off Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly during their 1-0 win at Wolves

Neville highlighted how Arsenal's rhetoric—particularly from Arteta and prominent fans—has led to dangerous accusations of corruption against referees

'Now you have a sway of Arsenal's anger, which comes from the players and from Mikel Arteta, and prominent fans. You now have a social media wave now which goes towards [allegations of] corruption and cheating. In our day, we couldn't have that much influence – everyone was at home without a phone, and didn't have Twitter.'

Oliver, one of the Premier League's most experienced referees, found himself at the center of controversy after showing Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly a straight red card for a late challenge on Matt Doherty. The decision sparked outrage among Arsenal supporters, with accusations of bias quickly spreading online.

The backlash escalated into something far more sinister, as Oliver and his family—his partner Laura and their two-year-old daughter—were subjected to death threats.

The Metropolitan Police intervened, passing the case to Oliver's local force after a police car was stationed outside his home on Sunday morning.

Disturbingly, it was later revealed that threats had been made to blow up Oliver's car while his family was inside, and people had previously turned up at his house to shout abuse through his letterbox.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) condemned the threats, issuing a statement calling the abuse 'abhorrent' and confirming police investigations were underway.

Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett suggested that Oliver should be removed from officiating for a short period, stating, 'I'd be saying to Michael Oliver, I think you need a rest and I think you're not going to see another game in the Premier League for a couple of weeks.'

Despite the pressure, Oliver has chosen to continue officiating. He will take charge of Ipswich vs. Southampton on Saturday and has also been assigned the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on February 12. However, he has not been selected for Arsenal's high-profile clash with Manchester City on Sunday.

Arteta's Arsenal side are currently sitting second in the Premier League table behind Liverpool

Neville came to Oliver's defense, strongly rejecting the idea that the referee could be influenced by external pressure.

'I hate the idea of a referee being taken off a game. He [Michael Oliver] is the best referee in the country, and the idea that he would go into that game on Sunday and be swayed towards Manchester City – he's not going to do that, he's a professional.'

Neville’s comments add to the ongoing debate about the treatment of referees in English football, with Arsenal’s perceived victim mentality under Arteta coming under scrutiny.

While clubs have always felt aggrieved by refereeing decisions, Neville argues that Arsenal’s approach—combined with the influence of social media—has escalated tensions to unprecedented levels.

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