Arsenal boss Arteta escapes ban after referee rant

The Football Association of England has decided not to punish Arsenal manager Miguel Arteta for his complaints regarding the quality of refereeing following Newcastle’s defeat last month.

The Gunners’ manager was incensed about the ruling to uphold Anthony Gordon’s goal in a 1-0 Premier League loss at St. James’ Park on November 4, calling it a “disgrace” and “embarrassing” decision.

The FA accused Arteta, which may have resulted in a transfer ban; however, an announcement yesterday stated that the case against the Spaniard was “not proven.”

According to an FA statement, “an independent Regulatory Commission has found that the claim against Miguel Arteta for an alleged breach of FA Rule E3.1 is not proven.”

“The manager was fired as a result of different remarks made in interviews with the media following Arsenal’s Premier League match against Newcastle United on November 4th.”It was claimed that these remarks represented misconduct because they were derogatory to match officials, harmful to the match, or brought the match into disrepute.

Arteta went on to say that if he thought the officiating was not up to the required standard, he would not stop publicly criticizing the use of VAR and the quality of officiating.

The Gunners manager had said, “The word ‘disgrace’…,” but the commission claimed in its written reasons that language problems had nothing to do with its decision to spare Arteta punishment.(w̺ic̺) is pronounced and spelled extremely similarly to the Spanish word “desgracia.”The Spanish term bears a stronger connotation of misfortune, tragedy, or hard luck than its English equivalent, which suggests disdain, disdain, or disrespect.

“Although the English meaning could be interpreted as offensive or abusive, this was not the intended meaning.”

Despite Arteta’s dissatisfaction with the goal awarded to Gordon, English referees chief Howard Webb stated that the right call had been made and that VAR had not been used to overturn the on-field call.

The next day, Arsenal released a statement endorsing Arteta, but the Gunners managed to avoid an FA fine for also casting doubt on the competence of match officials.

After serving a one-match suspension for receiving three yellow cards this season during last weekend’s 1-0 loss at Aston Villa, Arteta is now free to take the bench for Arsenal’s visit to Brighton on Sunday. — AFP