Mikel Arteta: Misconduct charges against Arsenal boss following Newcastle comments dropped 

The FA has dropped an accusation of misconduct against Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for remarks he made after his team’s loss to Newcastle last month.

Anthony Gordon’s questionable goal in the second half for Newcastle caused the Gunners to lose the match. Subsequently, in three post-match interviews, Arteta continually criticised the decision to allow the game-winning goal to stand, calling it “disgraceful” and “embarrassing.”

After a hearing, the FA released a statement saying the matter had been withdrawn without a penalty or any punishment. The Arsenal manager refuted the accusation made against him. 

“An independent Regulatory Commission has found the charge against Mikel Arteta for an alleged breach of FA Rule E3.1 to be not proven,” the governing body stated. “The manager was charged following various comments in media interviews after Arsenal’s Premier League game against Newcastle United on Saturday 4 November.

“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.”

After Arteta’s remarks were found to have “not insulted the Match Officials” or Premier League match officials in general, it was concluded in long written reasons that he was an “outstanding” witness. 

No statement made by MA in any of the interviews suggests that they lacked competence, either concerning the goal or in general; b) did not damage the reputation of the game; or c) were not harmful to the game’s best interests.”

The overall report also included the Premier League’s recognition of the vulnerability of the VAR system during a contentious match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in September. 

Two earlier examples, which Arteta’s defence further claimed proved disciplinary authorities had accepted the legitimacy of criticising refereeing judgments and standards. The FA vs. Jose Mourinho from 2014 and the PSG vs. UEFA match in 2020 starring Neymar were those examples.

As stated in the later ruling: “Even while emotions are running high, individuals should be allowed to discuss match-deciding judgments if one wants football to elicit strong feelings. Of course, this freedom should be maintained within reasonable bounds. Specifically, a player must be able to express his opinion that the particular judgment was incorrect.”