“I think he’s out of order" - Pundit believes FA were right to punish Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for his comments after loss to Newcastle
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara reckons the FA rightly punished Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for his recent VAR comments.
The Gunners suffered their only league defeat of the season at Newcastle United just before the international break on November 4. Anthony Gordon's 64th-minute winner stood after multiple VAR reviews, incensing Arteta, who lambasted it as a 'disgrace,' and Arsenal issued a statement in support of their manager.
The FA, evidently, didn't take kindly to the Spaniard's comments. It said in a statement (as per ESPN)
"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."
O'Hara said on talkSPORT that Arteta's comments were out of place:
"I think he’s out of order. The decision he is moaning about, we all know the referees can have a bit of a stinker and VAR has let teams down but (Wolves boss) Gary O’Neil should be the one who is coming out and making statements because he has had some howlers.
“That decision that went against him (Arteta) against Newcastle, I have looked at it back on the Sky Sports stuff when they have looked at it and gone through the process. It wasn’t conclusive that the ball was out, it wasn’t a clear and obvious error that it was a foul on Gabriel; it’s a goal.
The Gunners have responded well to that setback, responding with consecutive wins in as many meetings.
What did Mikel Arteta and Arsenal say about the Newcastle goal?
The Newcastle goal was obviously the big talking point in the aforementioned league clash with Arsenal. The goal stood, but it wasn't quite clear if it had gone out or there was a foul on Gabriel in the build-up.
Arteta, though, thought likewise and ranted against the call. The Spaniard said as per Barrons):
"You have to talk about how the hell did this goal stand up? Incredible. I feel embarrassed. I have to now come in here and try to defend the club and please ask for help because it's an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed. An absolute disgrace."
Arenal, later, put out a statement, which said that the standard of officiating needs to get better in the English top flight without directly talkign about the VAR incident:
"The Premier League is the best league in the world with the best players, coaches and supporters, all of whom deserve better.
PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies."
The Gunners are third in the standings, a point behind leaders Manchester City (27) after 12 games.