The Football Association has charged Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after he accused the referee of being a “disgrace” during Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle earlier in the month.
The match, that Magpies won courtesy of an Anthony Gordon goal given after a lengthy VAR review, is Arsenal’s only league loss of the season so far. It prompted Arteta to lash out. The Spaniard said he “felt sick” after the game, before the club issued a statement supporting Arteta’s harsh assessment.
It’s no surprise, then, that on Thursday night the Football Association confirmed that the Gunners boss had been accused of breaching FA Rule E3.1 for his comments following the St. James’ Park incident. It’s unclear what sanction Arteta could face if found guilty of breaching the rules, but it’s understood that a fine or touchline ban could be in the cards.
Arteta is well-known for his passion on the pitch and pundits have been critical of him this season for both his on-field and off-field behaviour.
He acknowledged last month, just before his inflammatory post-Newcastle remarks, that he was aware of the need to “stop making excuses for myself” and promised to “change my behaviour” after insisting that he had “come a long way”.
Mikel Arteta’s previous words
Speaking in October, Arteta said: “Sometimes when I look at myself and I’m so agitated I think it can sometimes give an image that is not the best. Sometimes it’s difficult when you are in the heat of the moment, because you are representing the club and you want to defend them. That’s what drives me. It’s to defend the players to defend the club. Nothing else. It’s not about me.”
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Arteta is by no means the first top-flight manager to be upset with the PGMOL and VAR system after a series of questionable decisions this season, although the Independent Panel recently confirmed that Gordon’s goal against Arsenal was correct.
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