Arsenal matches Mikel Arteta could miss if FA deliver ban for ‘disgraceful’ Newcastle VAR outburst
Mikel Arteta faces the prospect of another FA fine and suspension following an angry reaction subsequent to Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle.
The defeat ended their 10-game unbeaten streak at the beginning of the season, prompting Arteta to express his frustration openly.
The match saw multiple contentious incidents that incensed the Arsenal team. Firstly, the failure to penalize Bruno Guimaraes for an alleged elbow on Jorginho and the lack of bookings for tackles on Bukayo Saka were sources of vexation.
The situation escalated further when Anthony Gordon scored for Newcastle, despite VAR assessing three different potential reasons to disallow the goal.
The build-up to the goal raised concerns about the ball possibly going out of play, a marginal decision being made, and doubts over Joelinton’s actions in pushing Gabriel Magalhaes and potentially handling the ball.
Despite Arsenal’s struggle to create significant scoring opportunities—registering only one shot on target—Arteta vehemently expressed his discontent after the game.
“We have to talk about the result because you have to talk about how the hell this goal stand ups and it’s incredible,” he started. “I feel embarrassed but I have to be the one now coming here to try to defend the club and please ask for help, because it’s an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed; it’s an absolute disgrace.”
The Spanish coach continued in the same vein, coming down hard on refereeing body PGMOL and VAR: “It’s not a goal for many reasons; it’s not a goal, for more than one reason at least. It’s not a goal and it’s too much at stake here. We put in so much effort, it’s so difficult to compete at this level, and it’s an absolute disgrace.
“Again, I feel embarrassed having more than 20 years in this country, and this is nowhere near the level to describe this as the best league in the world. I am sorry.”
Moreover, when informed that three separate checks were conducted and an apology might be in order, he became even more agitated.
“That makes it even worse. It makes it even worse that you have, even worse, it makes it even worse.
“You just need to see one image, says, if you need, and you have any doubt you look at the second one, and if this is a goal, okay, that’s fine.” When asked about PGMOL he said: “Okay, I have to stand here now and explain, we lose three points today. Guys, you know what that means? It’s too hard, this league, it’s too hard, it’s too much at stake, it’s embarrassing.”
After the game, pundits and fans engaged in heated debates over the decisions. Gary Neville expressed that he believed the goal was acceptable, while Jamie Carragher acknowledged the tight nature of some of the calls, unable to pinpoint an obvious error. However, Arteta remained resolute and defiant, potentially placing himself in serious trouble.
Managers who openly criticize referees often face repercussions for their actions and statements, a scenario Arteta is familiar with. His touchline behavior has been a subject of discussion for some time. Leading up to this weekend, he had already accumulated two yellow cards, one of which he received two weeks ago against Chelsea.
With new regulations implemented at the start of the season to curb inappropriate behavior around the pitch, coaching staff were included in the crackdown, and Arteta had an early encounter with these rules during the Community Shield. Speaking before the recent victory over Sheffield United, he expressed his determination not to get into trouble anymore.
”Basically I don’t want to get sent off,” he explained. “Sometimes when I look at myself and I’m so agitated I think it can sometimes give an image that is not the best.
”Sometimes it’s difficult when you are in the heat of the moment, because you are representing the club and you want to defend them. That’s what drives me. It’s to defend the players to defend the club. Nothing else. It’s not about me.
”I think I am changing. If you think differently, let me know. But I have made a conscious effort. If you ask the players that played with me they would say I was always on their backs when I played as well. It’s who I am. Probably in 10 years’ time I will be very different. I think I will evolve, in many ways.”
Arteta managed to avoid a booking, thereby evading a ban due to the three-card threshold for managers and non-players, as opposed to the five-card limit for players.
However, his post-match comments are likely to attract attention. Meanwhile, Wolves’ Gary O’Neil has also voiced discontent about decisions that went against his team in recent weeks.
“It is not a penalty, hardly any contact,” he said on Saturday after Sheffield United were given a harsh looking spot kick “It is a tough one to discuss, it is another terrible decision.” Wolves were on the receiving end of a similarly tight call last week against Newcastle which prompted O’Neil to call out the referees.
This weekend he said: “I don’t understand why he feels the need to give it. Pause, take your time, it’s not about you. If you have made a clear and obvious error there, VAR will tell you after.
“I’ve been in with him, and he still thinks it’s a penalty, he still says there is contact. The only contact I can see is maybe Fabio’s shinpad with Baldock’s calf, like a graze.
“Baldock is already on his way down. I am sitting there watching it with him and he still says it is a penalty, which tells me we are in a pretty bad spot because that is never, ever a penalty.
“If you give a foul for that contact there would be one million fouls in the 90 minutes. Because of the wording we use, VAR can’t intervene because it is not deemed clear and obvious. Craziness.”
Arteta can certainly relate to those sentiments, but he is still at risk of landing himself in further trouble. Comparatively, earlier this year, Jurgen Klopp was fined £75,000 and received a two-match touchline ban for comments he made about Paul Tierney following Liverpool’s 4-3 victory over Tottenham at Anfield in May.
The German coach went a step further than Arteta by explicitly naming the official and highlighting historical issues with him in charge.
Normally, when managers reach this point, they tend to face penalties. Thomas Tuchel had made similar claims against Anthony Taylor during his tenure as Chelsea boss at the beginning of last season.
While Arteta didn’t go as far as Klopp did, his strong words could still potentially lead to a ban.
Howard Webb, the PGMOL chief, has advocated for a stricter approach towards misconduct aimed at officials in the ongoing season. While fans might justify Arteta’s actions due to the controversial decisions and their potential impact, the FA and referees are unlikely to be sympathetic, particularly in such a closely contested situation.
Arsenal is set for crucial upcoming matches, notably against Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday, a game that could be unaffected by a ban if one were imposed due to it being a European competition. Any decision regarding this matter is likely to take a considerably longer time to be reached.
Looking ahead, Arsenal faces fixtures against Burnley, Brentford, Wolves, Luton, and Aston Villa in the coming weeks before a challenging end to the year with matches against Liverpool, Brighton, and West Ham.
Losing their manager for any of these games would undoubtedly be a significant setback. However, it remains uncertain whether the FA will take any action regarding the comments made by Arteta.
Arsenal matches Mikel Arteta could miss if FA deliver ban for ‘disgraceful’ Newcastle VAR outburst