Mikel Arteta: Arsenal manager cleared after FA charge for comments about referees and VAR after defeat to Newcastle

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Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, recently found himself in a challenging situation after being charged by the Football Association (FA) for his post-match comments following Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle. In an interview with Sky Sports, Arteta expressed his frustration and disappointment with the decision to allow Anthony Gordon’s winning goal.

Arteta, clearly exasperated by the outcome of the match, called the decision “a disgrace” and went on to describe it as embarrassing. The passionate Arsenal manager stressed that his feelings were not his alone, but shared by everyone in the dressing room. He conveyed the flood of messages they received, all expressing discontent and a strong belief that such incidents should not be allowed to continue. The frustration and embarrassment were palpable in his words, as he apologized for the team’s performance.

The FA, citing rule E3.1, charged Arteta with misconduct, asserting that his comments were insulting towards the match officials, detrimental to the game, and brought the game into disrepute. However, after a thorough investigation, an independent Regulatory Commission found the charge against him to be not proven.

The goal itself was surrounded by three significant talking points. Firstly, there was a question of whether Newcastle’s Joe Willock had taken the ball out of play in the build-up to the goal. Secondly, some debate arose over whether Joelinton had fouled Gabriel, thereby assisting in the goal. And lastly, there were concerns about whether Anthony Gordon was offside before scoring. The FA’s written reasons for Arteta avoiding a charge clarified that he had only raised two specific issues in connection with the goal: the alleged foul on Gabriel and the potential ball out of play.

The written reasons also stated that:

• Arteta did not mean to insult with his use of the word ‘disgrace’ as the Spanish word ‘desgracia’ has a different meaning to the English word
• Arteta has made “considerable efforts” to improve VAR with the PGMOL and other stakeholders, as the technology is “below necessary standards”
• Arteta attended a “wholly unproductive” meeting with the PGMOL on November 2 – two days before the Newcastle game
• In his evidence, Arteta revealed that Willock, who used to play under Arteta, told the Arsenal players that the ball had indeed gone out of play

The FA will not challenge the decision made by the Regulatory Commission that cleared Arteta of the misconduct charge.

Either party can appeal a commission decision, but the appeal must be submitted within a specific timeframe following the decision. However, the deadline for submitting an appeal has already passed.