Gary Neville accused Mikel Arteta of feeding the growing hostility of Arsenal fans towards the referees, warning that the club's approach is contributing to a toxic online culture.
The expert's comments are produced following the referee Michael Oliver receiving threats and death abuses after the controversial 1-0 victory of Arsenal over the wolves last weekend.
Speaking about the reaction to Oliver's performance, Neville highlighted how Arsenal's rhetoric, particularly arteta and prominent fans, has led to dangerous accusations of corruption against the referees.
Speaking in the stick football podcast, brought to you by Bet of heavenNeville said: 'They (Arsenal fans) use language such as corruption, which means they think they are paying and bought, which obviously is not the case.
'We (at Manchester United) we live in a club that created a siege mentality about the referees. Arsenal is also doing a little of that, there is no doubt that what Arsenal does is inflame the situation after the game instead of calming him, they have done it for 12 months, but we cannot say that that is wrong he had played in The costume we did.
'The difference is now with social networks, when we were playing in the past and doing similar things with the referees, we were not inflaming what would be a cause of corruption in social networks.
Gary Neville accused Mikel Arteta of feeding the growing hostility of Arsenal fans towards the referees, warning that the club's approach is contributing to a toxic online culture
Oliver controversially sent Myles Lewis-Skell of Arsenal during his 1-0 victory in Wolves
Neville highlighted how Arsenal's rhetoric, particularly Arteta and prominent fans, has led dangerous accusations of corruption against referees
'Now you have a dominance of the wrath of Arsenal, which comes from players and Mikel Arteta, and prominent fans. Now it has a wave of social networks now that is destined (accusations of) corruption and trap. In our day, we couldn't have so much influence: everyone was at home without a phone and they didn't have Twitter. '
Oliver, one of the most experienced referees in the Premier League, was found in the center of the controversy after showing Myles Lewis-Skell of Arsenal a direct red card for a late challenge in Matt Doherty. The decision caused outrage among the supporters of the Arsenal, with bias accusations that quickly disseminated online.
The reaction became something much more sinister, since Oliver and his family, his partner Laura and his 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 parked outside his home on Sunday morning.
Later, it was later revealed that threats had been made to fly Oliver's car while his family was inside, and people had previously appeared at home to shout the abuse through his mailbox.
The officers of Professional Game Parties Limited (PGMOL) condemned the threats, issued a statement by calling “abuse” abuse and confirming that police investigations were underway.
The former PGMol chief, Keith Hetket, suggested that Oliver should be eliminated from officiating for a short period, declaring: “I would say to Michael Oliver, I think you need a break and I think you will not see another game in the premier league for A couple of weeks.
Despite the pressure, Oliver has chosen to continue officiating. It will take charge of Ipswich vs. Southampton on Saturday and he has also been assigned the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on February 12. However, it has not been selected for Arsenal's high profile clash with Manchester City on Sunday.
The Arteta Arsenal team is currently in second place at 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 that an referee is taken from a game. He (Michael Oliver) is the best referee in the country, and the idea that he would enter that game on Sunday and will be influenced towards Manchester City; He is not going to do that, he is a professional. ''
Neville's comments are added to the ongoing debate about the treatment of referees in English football, with the mentality of perceived victims of Arsenal under Arteta in scrutiny.
Although clubs have always felt harmed by arbitration decisions, Neville argues that the Arsenal approach, combined with the influence of social networks, has increased tensions to unprecedented levels.