Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has declared he would not acknowledge Arsenal as Premier League champions if they win the title this season, accusing the club of exploiting corner kick routines to an extent he considers illegal.
Mikel made the remarks following Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea on March 1, in which both goals came from corners, scored by William Saliba and Jurrien Timber. Arsenal have now scored 16 Premier League goals from corners this season, equalling the record for the most in a single campaign.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Nigeria captain said he could not accept a title won in such a manner. “They’ve cheated their way to winning the Premier League. So I wouldn’t recognise them as winners because, for me, it’s illegal the way they’re winning games. It’s illegal unless the Premier League right now, from this weekend, stamp that out. We don’t want to see that in the game,” he said.
Mikel’s central objection was not to set-piece goals themselves but to what he described as systematic physical grappling before the ball is delivered. He specifically cited Declan Rice’s physical tussle with Joao Pedro inside the penalty area as an example, and criticised match officials for allowing excessive pushing, shoving, and blocking before corners are taken. Under current laws, referees cannot penalise grappling before the ball is in play, a loophole that has drawn widespread debate across football.
Arsenal’s set-piece goals account for 35 percent of their total Premier League tally this season, the highest proportion recorded for any side in contention for the title in the competition’s history.
The controversy has now drawn a regulatory response. FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) have issued a decision on the grappling-at-corners issue as scrutiny of Arsenal’s approach intensified beyond punditry and into the sport’s governing structures.
Arsenal currently sit seven points clear of Manchester City with eight matches remaining, and are considered favourites to end a wait of more than two decades for a league title. Mikel acknowledged the quality in Arteta’s squad but argued that the reliance on dead-ball situations had suppressed the individual brilliance of players such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
