Mikel Arteta responds to Joe Willock after controversial Newcastle admission

15 December 2023 , 21:48

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Mikel Arteta responds to Joe Willock after controversial Newcastle admission

Mikel Arteta has defended Newcastle star Joe Willock after it was revealed that he played a role in helping the Arsenal boss avoid an FA sanction.

Arteta was charged over his furious rant following Newcastle's 1-0 win over Arsenal last month, with Anthony Gordon's winner allowed to stand after three VAR checks. Speaking after the game, Arteta called the decision "embarrassing and disgraceful".

However, an independent commission cleared Arteta of any wrongdoing and it was noted in their written reasons that Willock had apparently told some of his former Arsenal teammates that he felt the ball had gone out of play in the lead up to Gordon's goal. The first VAR check looked at whether Willock had managed to keep the ball in play and it was ultimately decided that there was no clear camera angle to overturn the original on-field decision.

Asked about Willock's apparent admission and whether he felt the midfielder should have told the referee that at the time, Arteta simply replied: "The players have a lot of things they have to do - let's not put more on their plates."

He also said he was hopeful something positive could come from the incident, adding: "It was a really good process and gave the opportunity for them to explain how they felt, myself how I felt as well and the reasons behind it.

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"Okay, the outcome is that I'm not charged, but I think we have to draw a line and look for how we can be much more constructive and learn from it and move forward. That's it. It was good.

Joe Willock apparently told some of his former Arsenal teammates he felt the ball had gone out of play

"I felt a lot of sympathy to be fair once I explained how sometimes as managers, with the pressure that we're under and how important details are for our job, because I love what I do so much and I want to continue doing it, but the reality last year was that 14 managers lost their jobs, which is incredible.

"We depend on results, that's it. When the outcome at the end is that important, I'm really emotional about. Now no-one remembers what happens three weeks ago when you lost a game, you lost another one because of a different reason. I think it was a really good process.

"It's not about them, it's about 'we'. We want to [make] the game better. How can we improve on the touchline to make life easier from the player side, from their side, technology-wise? It's all about us - we're all in this together. It's not about separate people trying to do their bits - [that's] not going to work. We have to do it together."

Matthew Cooper