Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has escaped punishment from the Football Association for his remarks about refereeing following last month’s 1-0 defeat by Newcastle.
Arteta called the video assistant referee’s decision to allow the Magpies’ winning goal at St James’ Park “embarrassing” and a “disgrace”.
Following his initial charge with misconduct, the Football Association reported that an independent Regulatory Commission has found the charge to be not proven after a subsequent hearing.
“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,” the FA added in a statement.
In the written reasons for the charge not being proven, it was revealed Arteta claimed that: “The word ‘disgrace’…’has a very similar spelling and pronunciation to the Spanish ‘desgracia’.
“The Spanish word 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.”
What happened in Newcastle game to upset Arteta?
The winning goal for Newcastle involved three incidents scrutinized by VAR: first, whether Joe Willock took the ball out of play in the build-up; then, if Joelinton fouled Gabriel to set up the goal; and finally, whether Anthony Gordon was offside when he scored.
Arteta claimed that his players were informed by opponents that the ball had gone out of play, despite VAR confirming it had not. He asserted that his comments aimed at improving standards were not about perceived injustices suffered by Arsenal during the match.
The Arsenal manager highlighted his commitment to enhancing standards, emphasizing that his remarks didn’t violate the FA’s guidelines on ‘Media Comments and Social Media.’
‘VAR weaknesses immense frustration for Arteta’
The Newcastle goal was part of several controversial VAR incidents this season, including Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed goal for Liverpool. Referees’ body PGMOL admitted to a “significant human error” in that case, referenced in the reasons for Arteta’s charge dismissal.
The Regulatory Commission acknowledged ‘weaknesses in and issues with the VAR process,’ recognizing Arteta’s frustration. The not-proven verdict allows him to return to the dugout for the Brighton game after serving a one-match touchline ban in the previous match against Aston Villa.
