Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta escapes ban after referee rant

LONDON – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will face no punishment from England’s Football Association (FA) following his complaints about refereeing standards during his side’s defeat by Newcastle United in November.

The Gunners boss was furious at the decision to let Anthony Gordon’s goal stand after three VAR (video assistant referee) checks in a 1-0 English Premier League loss at St James’ Park on Nov 4, labelling the verdict as “embarrassing” and also a “disgrace”.

He was subsequently charged by the FA, which could have led to a touchline ban, but the case against the Spaniard will not be pursued further according to an announcement on Dec 14.

“An independent Regulatory Commission has found the charge against Mikel Arteta for an alleged breach of FA Rule E3.1 to be not proven,” said an FA statement.

“It was alleged that his comments constituted misconduct in that they were insulting towards match officials and/or detrimental to the game and/or brought the game into disrepute.

“Arteta’s use of the highlighted words did not, whether viewed individually or in their totality, breach FA Rule E3.1. The highlighted words did not insult the match officials (or Premier League match officials generally).”

Specifically, the commission felt that language issues were behind its decision to spare Arteta punishment.

It explained that the word “disgrace” has “a very similar spelling and pronunciation to the Spanish word ‘desgracia’ which has connotations of misfortune, tragedy or bad luck rather than the connotations of the English equivalent which suggest contempt, dishonour or disrespect”.

“While the English meaning may lead to interpretations of abuse or insult, this was not the intended meaning,” the statement added.

Arteta said following that match that he would continue to speak out publicly against the use of VAR and the quality of officiating if he felt it fell below the required standard.

For all his unhappiness at the award of Gordon’s goal, English referees’ chief Howard Webb said the correct decision had been reached, with VAR right in not overturning the on-field call.

Arsenal issued a statement in support of Arteta the following day, although the Gunners avoided an FA charge for also questioning the capability of match officials.

The manager can now return to the dugout for the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion on Dec 17, having served a one-match touchline ban for receiving three yellow cards this season during the 1-0 loss at Aston Villa on Dec 9. AFP, REUTERS