FA charges Mikel Arteta over referee rant following defeat against Newcastle

Arsenal's manager, Mikel Arteta, has been charged by The Football Association following his outburst against the referees after Arsenal's contentious 1-0 loss to Newcastle United.

Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the match sparking harsh criticism from Arteta and numerous Arsenal supporters. Gordon finished a move necessitating VAR checks for both a potential out of bounds and a possible foul by Joelinton on Gabriel Magalhaes.

Arteta accused the decision as 'disgraceful' and expressed shame and embarrassment over the game's officiating. These comments have led to him being charged by the FA.

A statement read, 'Mikel Arteta has breached FA Rule E3.1 due to comments he made in media interviews following the Premier League match against Newcastle United on Saturday 4 November.'

According to allegations, Arteta's remarks qualify as misconduct, given they are viewed as offensive towards match officials and/or harmful to the game and/or discrediting the game

Arteta has been given until Tuesday 21 November to respond to this charge.'

Howard Webb, PGMOL chief, who manages the group responsible for all officiating in England, justified the decision permitting the goal, contrary to Arteta's objections.

Speaking to Sky Sports' Match Officials: Mic'd Up, he said, 'The ball gets very close to the goal line, but the assistant referee has a perfect line of sight. Despite the ball's lack of pace toward the goal line, the assistant referee's view surpasses that of all our cameras.'

He added, 'It's possible the ball crossed the line and a foul could have been made. However, the VAR decided that the footage was insufficient evidence to formally review for a clear error. The level of debate after extensive analysis suggests that it was the right decision to refrain from intervening due to the scenario's subjectivity.'

He concluded, 'In rare circumstances when the ball passes between two players, pinpointing exactly when the ball leaves Joelinton is incredibly challenging. Therefore, without concrete evidence that Gordon was offside when he received the last touch, the VAR maintained the goal. The process was handled correctly.'