FA make referee call affecting Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs after Arteta charge

The Premier League and EFL have been informed that managers may face heavier fines and touchline bans in an attempt to crackdown on referee criticism following a meeting with the FA and PGMOL. According to the Mail, managers in the Premier League have been warned that refs are set to clamp down on any abuse by issuing heavier punishments.

At the start of the 2023/24 season, referees were urged to be stricter regarding behaviour from managers on the touchline while also lowering the threshold for what would be considered a yellow card offence. The FA are now also insisting on extending that to post-match comments following Mikel Arteta's brutal rant after Arsenal lost to Newcastle in controversial circumstances.

"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. Because it's not a goal for many reasons; it’s not a goal, for more than one reason at least. It’s not a goal and it's too much at stake here. We put in so much effort, it’s so difficult to compete at this level, and it's an absolute disgrace.

"Again, 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." As a result Arteta was charged, with a statement from an FA spokesperson on X (formerly Twitter) reading: "Mikel Arteta has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1 following comments that he made in interviews after Arsenal's Premier League game against Newcastle United on Saturday 4 November."It's alleged that his comments constitute misconduct as they are insulting towards match officials and/or detrimental to the game being and/or bring the game into disrepute. Mikel Arteta has until Tuesday 21 November to provide a response to this charge." Arteta has since been allowed an extension to provide an answer to the charge.

In the days after his comments, Arsenal released a club statement supporting the claims from the manager which drew significant attention on social media for all the wrong reasons with Gary Neville brandishing it 'dangerous'. A further meeting on the topic is set to be held next week with the FA choosing not to further punish the club for their public comments.

However, it has since been made clear that if any club decides to be strongly critical of referees they would also be charged and face the possibility of large fines.