What Porto boss accused Arteta of saying emerges as UEFA decide on fiery bust-up

13 March 2024 , 21:31

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The pair were seen in a heated discussion after the match (Image: TNT Sports)

Porto boss Sergio Conceicao accused Mikel Arteta of using an offensive Spanish phrase which referenced his late mother after Arsenal's fiery Champions League win on Tuesday.

Conceicao and Arteta immediately came together after Arsenal's penalty shootout victory which put them into the last eight, and after jabbing his finger in the direction of the Gunners boss, Conceicao later hit out at him in his post-match press conference.

"He insulted my family and in the end I told him 'be careful', because whoever he insulted is no longer with us," he said. "He should worry about training his team more and better because he has a lot of individual quality to do so."

Conceicao's parents both died when he was a teenager, with his father dying in a tragic motorbike crash when he was 16 and his mother passing away from long-term health problems when he was 18.

The Porto boss declined to go further into what he believes Arteta said, but the Mail Online report that a source close to the former Portugal international believed it to have been the phrase "concha de tu madre", a phrase which literally translates as "your mother's shell" but is seen as a reference to a vagina in Spanish-speaking countries.

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Sergio Conceicao accused Mikel Arteta of insulting his dead mother (Getty Images)

Arsenal issued a fierce defence of their manager and denied he said anything offensive to Conceicao. The Gunners boss declined to comment on the issue at his post-match press conference.

UEFA are unlikely to take any action over the incident, and Conceicao has a long history of making similar claims after previous defeats, including with Thomas Tuchel and Pep Guardiola.

But UEFA insist they are unlikely to step in unless a manager makes comments toward the officials and therefore no action seems likely.

The pair could be seen coming head to head after the match (TNT Sports)

Arteta would only talk about his side's dramatic victory after the game, saying: "“So happy. It has been 14 years (since they reached the last eight), which is a long time for a club like Arsenal and it shows how difficult it was. We really had to dig in to find the magic moment at the end. We’re starting to create an unbelievable energy in the stadium, we were all pushing to get it done and together we have done it.

“[The last eight] is where we want to be. We’ve been patient, worked so hard and a lot of people have made good decisions and showed courage in difficult moments and this is where you want to be.”

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John Cross