Why Two Arsenal Players Did Not Receive Medals During Title Ceremony
- Arsenal celebrated Premier League title with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace
- Two players missed medal ceremony due to not meeting appearance requirements
- Only 24 players qualified for medals, with arrangements for unawarded players likely to follow
Two Arsenal players were left without Premier League medals during the club’s official title presentation despite being part of the celebrations on Sunday, May 24.
Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years after securing a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Source: Getty Images
The Gunners, who had already been confirmed champions on Tuesday, wrapped up a memorable campaign in style thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke on either side of half-time.
According to Sky Sports, Jean-Philippe Mateta reduced the deficit for Crystal Palace, but Arsenal held on to finish the season on 85 points - seven ahead of Manchester City, who lost to Aston Villa in Pep Guardiola’s final match in charge.
Arsenal officially received the trophy after the final whistle, marking the reward for nine months of work under Mikel Arteta.
The presentation was slightly delayed to allow Crystal Palace to conduct their own end-of-season celebrations, including a lap of honour for departing manager Oliver Glasner.
Arsenal players later returned to the dressing room to change into their home kit before making their way back to the away end for the title presentation.
Why two Arsenal players missed out on medals
The first players to walk onto the podium were Marli Salmon and Tommy Setford, but both appeared without collecting Premier League winners’ medals.
They were followed by Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Magalhaes, who both collected their medals, although Gabriel needed reminding before taking his.
Source: Getty Images
Salmon and Setford did not receive medals during the ceremony because they had not met the Premier League requirement of making at least five league appearances during the season.
While both featured in cup competitions, neither reached the required number of league appearances.
The Premier League handbook states:
"The League Champions shall further receive 40 commemorative medals to be presented by the Club to its Manager and to such of its Players and Officials as it thinks fit, provided that any Player who has entered the field of play in a minimum of five of its League Matches that Season shall receive from the Club a commemorative medal."
Interestingly, reserve goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga still received a medal despite making only one league appearance, which came on the final day of the campaign.
Since only 24 Arsenal players reached the five-appearance mark, there remains a strong possibility that Salmon and Setford will receive medals privately behind the scenes.
Why Arsenal can't lift EPL trophy yet
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Arsenal will not lift the Premier League trophy immediately despite already being confirmed champions.
League rules state that the trophy is usually presented during a club’s final home game if the title has already been secured before the season ends.
Source: YEN.com.gh
