The FA’s recent decision to implement stricter penalties for Premier League managers will affect Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham.
During a meeting involving the FA, Premier League, and EFL, it was conveyed that managers could expect increased fines and touchline bans as a response to referee criticism. According to reports from the Mail, referees are set to take a tougher stance, imposing harsher penalties for any instances of abuse from managers.
At the onset of the 2023/24 season, referees were encouraged to enforce stricter behavior standards for managers on the touchline. Additionally, the threshold for offenses resulting in yellow cards was lowered. Now, the FA aims to extend this scrutiny to post-match comments following Mikel Arteta’s sharp criticism after Arsenal’s contentious loss to Newcastle.
Arteta’s impassioned remarks about Anthony Gordon’s winning goal, scrutinized by VAR for multiple potential infractions, led to him being charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1. His comments were deemed insulting toward match officials and detrimental to the game. Arsenal supported Arteta’s claims in a statement, attracting considerable attention and critique, labeled “dangerous” by Gary Neville.
While the FA refrained from further penalizing the club for their public comments, it’s been made clear that any club voicing strong criticism of referees could face significant fines and charges. An extension was granted to Arteta to respond to the charge, and discussions on this matter will continue in an upcoming meeting.