Arsenal's long-awaited Premier League title celebrations sparked confusion among supporters after two players were noticeably denied medals during the official trophy presentation.
The Incident at the Ceremony
The Gunners finally lifted the Premier League crown after ending a 22-year wait under manager Mikel Arteta, capping off an unforgettable campaign with celebrations following their final match of the season against Crystal Palace on Sunday, May 24. Thousands of Arsenal supporters watched emotional scenes unfold as the players celebrated the club's first league title since the famous Invincibles era.
However, eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted an unusual moment during the medal ceremony involving youngsters Marli Salmon and Tommy Setford. The pair were among the first Arsenal players to walk toward the podium during the presentation, but unlike many of their teammates, they did not collect Premier League winners' medals. Their omission immediately triggered questions online, with many supporters wondering why two members of the title-winning squad had seemingly been overlooked during such an important occasion.
Premier League Rules Explained
The explanation behind the controversial moment lies within Premier League regulations regarding medal eligibility. According to official league rules, clubs receive 40 commemorative medals to distribute among players, coaching staff and club officials after winning the title. However, there is an important condition attached to automatic player qualification: any footballer must make at least five Premier League appearances during the season to be guaranteed a medal during the official distribution.
Marli Salmon and Tommy Setford were involved mainly in domestic cup competitions throughout the campaign and did not reach the required five league appearances needed for automatic recognition during the presentation ceremony. As a result, both players walked to the podium without collecting medals alongside their teammates. The Premier League handbook clearly outlines the rule in Section C13: "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, defender Gabriel Magalhaes and summer signing Piero Hincapie both received medals during the presentation, though Gabriel reportedly needed reminding before collecting his.
Arsenal Could Still Hand Medals to Young Players
Despite missing out publicly during the official ceremony, there remains a strong possibility that both Salmon and Setford will still receive winners' medals privately from the club. Because Arsenal had only 24 players meet the five-appearance threshold this season, the club still has spare medals available to distribute at its own discretion. That flexibility explains why reserve goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was also awarded a medal despite making just one Premier League appearance all season. Premier League champions are allowed to allocate remaining medals to players and staff members who contributed to the campaign in other ways beyond league appearances. Many fans therefore expect Arsenal to reward the young duo behind the scenes in recognition of their involvement throughout the season.
For Arsenal, though, the focus remains firmly on celebrating a historic title win that finally ended more than two decades of waiting and restored the club to the summit of English football.
