Mikel Arteta Insists He Won’t Stop Speaking Amid FA Charge

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has insisted that he will keep “speaking” even though the English FA has charged him for making insulting comments against officiating in the Premier League.

After Newcastle United defeated Arsenal 1-0 on November 4, Mikel Arteta criticized the officiating of the game and went as far as describing it as “an absolute disgrace”.

The aspect of the game that infuriated Arteta the most was Anthony Gordon’s goal which is believed to be a product of a foul that the Video Assistant Referee couldn’t catch.

After the goal, three VAR checks were made to ascertain whether the ball went out of play, whether a foul was committed, and whether an offside occurred. After all the checks, Newcastle United were vindicated and the goal stood.

The 64th-minute goal put an end to Arsenal’s Premier League winning streak, and Arteta, 41, has formally sent his thoughts regarding his remarks to the FA but he is yet to be informed of the nature of his punishment over the remarks.

Ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League game against Brentford at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Mikel Arteta emphasized the importance of free speech. He also stated that he thinks better communication will lead to higher-quality refereeing.

“I am going to speak. I think you have to be yourself and as a leader, you have to be authentic,” Mikel Arteta told the press on Friday.

“You cannot be someone you are not and this is who I am.”

On the FA charge against him, Arteta added: “We have [sent our observations to the FA] and we will try to give our point and the reasons why and there’s not a lot I can comment on.

“When you get asked to give your observation you have to do it in the right way and there’s a process in place to do that.

“It is good that we are communicating and we all want to improve the game. Referees, managers, officials, sporting directors, journalists, we all want a better game.

“To get a better game we need freedom of speech, respectfully and constructively, but we have to promote that.

“It is good that they are talking in front of the media about decisions because it brings clarity.”