Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta charged by FA for his post-match comments after Gunners' loss to Newcastle
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1 for his comments concerning refereeing standards following the Gunners' 1-0 loss to Newcastle United on November 4.
The Spanish tactician was livid after VAR confirmed a much-debated goal by Magpies attacker Anthony Gordon in the 64th minute at St. James' Park. The video assistant referee (VAR) checked whether the ball remained in play during the build-up and then moved on to a potential foul on Arsenal defender Gabriel.
Clearing both incidents, the VAR also concurred with the on-field officials in not awarding offside against the goalscorer.
Disgruntled by these decisions, Arteta said after the game (via Independent):
"Embarrassing, it’s an absolute disgrace, that’s what it is: a disgrace. here’s so much at stake, we’ve put in so many hours to compete at the highest level and you cannot imagine the amount of messages we’ve had saying this cannot continue. It’s embarrassing."
He added:
“It’s not acceptable, there’s too much at stake. I don’t want to be in the hands of these people. I don’t know how to feel. I’m wasting my time, we are wasting our time. It’s an absolute disgrace it was allowed. For more than one reason it should not be a goal."
Claiming that these comments constitute misconduct under the aforementioned rule, an FA statement on Thursday (November 16) read:
"Mikel Arteta has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1 following comments that he made in media interviews after Arsenal’s Premier League game against Newcastle United on Saturday 4 November."
“It’s alleged that his comments constitute misconduct as they are insulting towards match officials and/or detrimental to the game and/or bring the game into disrepute."
Arteta now has until Tuesday (November 21) to respond to these charges.
Where do Arsenal stand in the Premier League?
Arsenal backed up their poor performance against Newcastle United at St. James' Park with back-to-back wins across competitions. The Gunners first defeated Sevilla 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League on November 8 before winning their latest Premier League match 3-1 against Burnley three days later.
Although Mikel Arteta's side missed key players Thomas Partey, Martin, Odergaard, and Ben White due to injury, they got the job done before the international break.
The north Londoners are placed third in the Premier League table, level on points (27) with Liverpool, who are second. They are only one point behind table-toppers Manchester City as we break for international fixtures.
Once club football returns in just over a week's time, Arteta's men will travel to Brentford in the English top flight on November 25.