November 17th 2023.
The Football Association (FA) has made it clear that they are not tolerating clubs that criticize referees. This was made apparent when Arsenal released a statement in support of their manager Mikel Arteta’s rant against officials after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United earlier this month.
Arteta had described the decision to allow Anthony Gordon’s winning goal as a ‘disgrace’ and ‘embarrassing’ in a lengthy tirade. On Thursday evening, the FA confirmed they had charged Arteta for a breach of Rule E3.1, claiming his comments had brought the game into disrepute. Arteta has until Tuesday 21 November to respond and there is a chance that Arsenal could contest the charge due to their statement supporting their manager’s comments.
This statement has caused the FA to be ‘hugely concerned’, as they intend to meet with representatives from the leagues and the managers association to warn that regulatory action will be taken if clubs continue to support managers who criticize referees. This is due to the continually increasing disrespect towards officials and the lack of people wanting to become referees.
The FA are determined to ‘draw a line in the sand’ following Arsenal’s statement. Arteta is now facing a touchline ban or worse, and although it is unclear whether Arsenal will face regulatory action as a result of their statement, any further statements of this kind will face a strong response.
The Premier League’s Independent Key Match Incidents Panel reviewed the decision and voted 4-1 that the officials were correct in their decision. Arsenal and Arteta were also unhappy that Bruno Guimaraes was not sent off, though PGMOL chief Howard Webb admitted they got this wrong.
It is clear that the FA is not tolerating clubs who criticize referees, and they will take regulatory action if the trend of disrespect towards officials continues. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal or any other club will face regulatory action for their statements, but the FA will certainly be keeping a close eye on any further comments.
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