Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was lucky to avoid landing himself in trouble after the Gunners were beaten by Newcastle last season. The two sides will do battle in the Premier League this weekend, with Arsenal making the long journey north to St James’ Park.
Last season’s fixture provided no shortage of controversy, with tempers flaring on the pitch and in the dugouts. Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game to hand Newcastle a narrow victory but Arsenal were furious that it was allowed to stand.
Three distinct events were thoroughly checked by VAR after the goal, including whether the ball had gone out of play, a push on Gabriel Magalhaes and a potential offside. No infringements were found, though, allowing Newcastle fans to celebrate.
Arteta was left particularly incensed and was charged by the FA after launching into an explosive rant in his post-match interview.
He said: “I feel embarrassed but I have to be the one now coming here to try to defend the club and please ask for help, because it’s an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed. It’s an absolute disgrace. It’s not a goal for more than one reason at least.
“We put in so much effort, it’s so difficult to compete at this level, and it’s an absolute disgrace. I feel embarrassed having more than 20 years in this country, and this is nowhere near the level to describe this as the best league in the world. I am sorry.
“[That it was cleared by VAR] makes it even worse. You just need to see one image if you need, and you have any doubt you look at the second one, and if this is a goal, okay, that’s fine.”
The FA were quick to file a misconduct charge against Arteta, putting him under threat of a touchline ban or a fine. He was eventually cleared by an independent commission, who determined the charge against the Spaniard was unfounded.
A statement from the FA gave an unusual explanation as to why Arteta was not punished. It read: “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.”
The written reasons also said that Arteta’s emotional state had been heightened when he was ‘told by certain Arsenal players that Willock (a former Arsenal player) had expressed the view that the ball had gone out of play before he crossed into the penalty area’.
It remains to be seen if this weekend’s game between Arsenal and Newcastle will provide any further drama, with the Gunners hoping to end their run of two Premier League matches without a win.
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