16 November 2023 , 22:30
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Mikel Arteta has been charged by The Football Association after claiming the officiating during Arsenal 's 1-0 defeat against Newcastle earlier this month was "a disgrace".
The game, which was won by a goal from Anthony Gordon that survived a lengthy VAR check, was Arsenal's sole league defeat of the season and sparked a furious reaction from Arteta. The Spaniard claimed he "felt sick" post-match before the club released a statement backing Arteta's brutal assessment.
Unsurprisingly, it was confirmed on Thursday evening that the FA had charged the Gunners chief with a "breach of FA Rule E3.1" for comments made after the events at St. James' Park. It remains to be seen what punishment Arteta could be hit with if found guilty, but it could involve either a fine or a touchline ban.
Arteta has become renowned for his passionate actions during matches and has been regularly criticised by pundits for his conduct both on and off the touchline this season.
He admitted last month, shortly before his explosive comments post-Newcastle, that he was conscious of the need to stop talking himself into trouble. And he even vowed to improve his conduct after stressing he had already mellowed.
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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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Mikel Arteta has been charged by the FA for his explosive comments following Arsenal's defeat against Newcastle earlier this month"I think I am changing. If you think differently, let me know. But I have made a conscious effort. If you ask the players that played with me they would say I was always on their backs when I played as well. It's who I am. Probably in 10 years' time I will be very different. I think I will evolve, in many ways."
Arteta is hardly the first Premier League manager to question the PGMOL and VAR this season following a string of controversial decisions, although an independent panel recently reaffirmed that Gordon's goal against the Gunners was a valid one.
Referee chief Howard Web b responded to calls from Arsenal for refereeing standards to be addressed earlier this week on the latest edition of Match Officials: Mic'd Up. He said: "We're open-minded to all technologies that make us more accurate and make us more efficient."
He added: "We're doing some testing behind-the-scenes, we'll see how that goes. We're keeping a close eye on other competitions, and we'll take a decision in terms of the best way to go forward with that."