Mikel Arteta is one of the best managers in the Premier League, although many may argue otherwise. The Arsenal manager spent his learning years under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, mainly as the assistant manager at City, before taking on the full-time manager’s role at Arsenal. He led the Gunners to a second-place finish last season.
This season has started brightly for the North Londoners and could have even been better had they not lost to Newcastle over a month ago. The defeat left Arteta fuming over the inconsistencies in VAR decisions. However, after being slammed with charges by the FA, the Spaniard has now been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Mikel Arteta escapes FA punishment
Almost every Premier League team has been a victim of poor refereeing and VAR decisions this season. From Liverpool releasing a statement in the aftermath of their high-profile defeat to Tottenham earlier this season to Mikel Arteta going on a long rant about the poor officiating in the Premier League, there has been no shortage of VAR controversies in English football this season.
The Arsenal manager was visibly furious at the VAR decision that went against them against Newcastle United almost a month ago. The goal, which looked like it came from a cross after the bad had gone out of play, was allowed to stand after a lengthy VAR check, much to the dismay of the Arsenal manager.
“It’s a disgrace. It’s embarrassing,” the former Manchester City first-team coach said. “That’s how I feel, and that’s how everybody feels in that dressing room. You cannot imagine the amount of messages we’ve got saying this cannot continue. It’s embarrassing,” he added.
Thankfully, all the charges against the Arsenal managers have been dropped, with the panel describing Arteta as an “impressive witness” who only tried to focus on a broader frustration with the VAR with his comments rather than directing insults to a match official.
Arsenal had also released an official statement to back their manager. “The Premier League is the best league in the world with the best players, coaches and supporters, all of whom deserve better. PGMOL 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 club said.
Which FA rules is Mikel Arteta accused of breaking?
Arteta went on a rant after the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United, with the Arsenal manager criticizing the efficiency of the VAR and also pointing out how poor refereeing decisions were costing teams.
The FA quickly charged him for breaching Rule E3.1, which implied that his comments after the match were perceived as misconduct. Arteta’s comments were found to have been insulting towards a match official and/or detrimental to the game and/or bright the game into disrepute.
Mikel Arteta’s charges were dropped after he attended a personal hearing. Also, according to ESPN, former Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock, who now plays for Newcastle United, expressed that he believed the ball had gone out of play before the goal, which made Arteta’s frustrations justifiable.
Should the FA have punished Mikel Arteta?
