Mikel Arteta has been charged by the English FA for his utterances after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday, November 4, 2023.
Arteta made a scathing remark on the video assistant referee’s decision to allow Anthony Gordon’s goal to stand.
The 41-year-old branded the controversial decision as “embarrassing” and a “disgrace”.
Gordon’s goal was examined on three occasions by VAR officials and all the decisions went in Newcastle United’s favor.
Mikel Arteta has till Tuesday, November 21, 2023, to respond and give his stance on the charge.
Mikel Arteta charged by English FA
A statement released by the FA reads: “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.”
In a statement put out by Arsenal on the comments made by Arteta, they stood behind their gaffer and they also called the officiating of that game into question.
The Gunners labeled the officiating as “unacceptable” and they also stated that players, coaches, and supporters all “deserve better”.
In examining the goal and its authenticity, three distinct areas were checked by VAR, and these areas include; checking to see if the ball had gone out of play in the build-up, if there was a foul before the goal, and if there was an offside.
However, following the confirmation of these checks as aforementioned, the on-field referee signaled for a goal to Newcastle United.
Recently, footage containing the conversation between match officials in making the call was shared, and Howard Webb gave his stance on the decisions made by the on-field referee and the process taken to reach that decision.
Webb was speaking in a programme prepared by Premier League Productions named “Match Officials Mic’d Up” which analyzes VAR calls from previous months and he had great words to say on the decision taken by on-field referee Stuart Attwell and the VAR officials.
He also saluted the officials on the process taken to reach that decision, which generated lots of controversy when it was made.
Refereeing chief Howard Webb’s thoughts on Newcastle United’s goal against Arsenal
Speaking on the programme, an excerpt from Howard Webb’s lengthy statement reads:
“This was an unusual moment with three aspects for the VAR to check.
“The VAR decides that the evidence from the footage isn’t clear enough to intervene with a review for a clear error for the ball going out of play.
“Trying to identify when the ball leaves Joelinton is difficult to establish as the players were so close together, so again no conclusive evidence Gordon was offside.
“The VAR went through that diligently and identified no clear evidence to intervene so the process was correct.”
Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle United effectively meant that they had lost their unbeaten status in the Premier League for the 2023/24 season.
The North London club sit 3rd in the English top-flight division with 27 points from 12 league matches.
They return to league action on Saturday, November 25, 2023, with a visit to the Gtech Community Stadium to play Brentford.
