Matteo Guendouzi will face no punishment from the FA after a coming together with Brighton’s Neal Maupay on Saturday.
The Arsenal midfielder grabbed the French striker briefly around the neck at the final whistle of the 2-1 defeat, leading to fears he might be handed retrospective punishment and potentially a three game ban.
In a statement released this afternoon, the FA said:
Matteo Guendouzi’s conduct during this incident was not seen by the match officials at the time, but it was subsequently reviewed by the VAR, so he will face no further action.
Both clubs were ‘reminded of their responsibilities’ over the mass confrontation, which is frowned upon anyway but particularly at the moment because of the new Covid-19 protocols.
Guendouzi is probably a bit lucky to get away with it, but after seeing Maupay go unpunished for his foul on Bernd Leno which led to the German sustaining what’s feared to be a serious injury, as well as losing Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari in the game against Man City, it’s about time we had a small slice of good fortune.
Earlier Mikel Arteta had called on his players to express their frustrations in the right way, but will now have the 21 year old available to him for Thursday’s trip to Southampton.
Quite how he sets up his midfield remains to be seen, but it’s clear the one he selected against Brighton did not function as well as he would have liked.
There might be room for a Mesut Ozil recall, but with Xhaka and Lucas Torreira suspended, the manager’s options are pretty limited.
This the authorities feeling embarrassed at having done nothing to punish the real transgressor and not wanting to inflame the issue further, bringing more attention to their, at best, incompetence.
At full-time, Matteo Guendouzi, as is so often the case, completely lost his cool and was caught on camera with his hands around the striker’s throat.
I don’t understand this, Blogs is always on Mattel’s case. I know Im not the only one who liked what he did… but as so often is the case.. Blogs has it’s own agenda against Guendouzi it seems.. like Xhaka
Its not an agenda.maybe bias
Nice to see a player with some backbone and fight for once. Would’ve liked to see him do it to Bissouma and Atkinson as well. Sorry state of affairs that it’s one of the youngest members of the squad. May he grow into a proper bastard a la Vieira.
Maybe we should now bring in AMN in the DM role?
Make no mistake, we got away with this one. I’d go so far as to say had the Leno incident not occurred young Matteo would have been slapped with a 3 game ban. Not the way it should work but…
Now if only he could marry the attitude and spikiness with some end product. Goals, assists, even pre-assists just something, please
Isn’t it safer to say that had the Leno incident not occurred the Matteo incident wouldn’t have either?
Impotent as it was at least there was a reaction from him towards the fuckhead gobshite who intentionally banjaxed our goalkeeper.
I hated the play on Leno, but it’s only a yellow card….
It was an assault that the law says is worthy of a custodial sentence.
lets start handing out assault charges every time there is a collision on the pitch
Not a collision. He chose to run into the goalkeeper.
Intentionally shoving a goalkeeper in the air -an extremely vulnerable situation because they don’t in many cases have the option of using their arms to catch themselves- should have the option of being more than a yellow.
That’s my opinion anyway.
That’s a yellow but luiz grabbing a guy’s shoulder is a red?
I wouldn’t be so quick to put Guendouzi down. It might have been misguided, but the rest of the team are so passive that it is hard to imagine this is Arsenal at times.
The coach said nothing either during the press conference, so don’t blame the players for not intervening.
Physical distancing at its best!!
I see your point but remember Kos vs Diego Costa? Never that way of being subdued again. This is a physical sport after all.
Rubbish.
What, supporters expect the head coach/manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world with a huge international support and world wide endorsement contracts to have a go at an individual player?
Thats just $tupid. I am sorry to say it so bluntly.
If you no class blowhard A-holes, the chickens down the road have one as a manager. Maybe try them….
AFC has class. AW had class. Our form is shit and things are a mess. But lets not get krazy here people.
At least, it reminded me of Vieira grabbing Gary Neville by the neck in the tunnel in our good years. Loved it that day. Now, young Douzie needs to be Vieira on the pitch.
If we weren’t so short in midfield, I’d just as soon have seen him suspended. He’s not been very good, and while I’m not sure I exactly condone retaliation, it doesn’t do much good after the whistle.
Whenever we have won something, there have been spiky characters in the team. Wright on Schmeichel, Vieira on Keane and even Bergkamp admits he needed to use his elbows and find some tension to perform at his best.
If there is a player that looks like he might actually care about getting beat, then that is at least a start.
Oh, yes, fighting, beating, shouting, hurting… is showing passion. I’d rather see goaling, assisting, winning, but well… what do I know about football.
Will never forget the elbow Dennis imparted onto Steve Lomas. Ice man looseth his cooleth
I don’t think anyone has been great these last two games, but a) Guendouzi has been among the better ones (at least he’s showed for the ball and not hidden) and b) we’d be knackered even more without him.
But what does he really do with the ball? Sure, he keeps running, with or without the ball. What else?
Well, for a start he goes past people with the ball and is about the only one willing to break the opposition lines. He did that a few times against both City and Brighton. But I think you need to be questioning the options available to him and the instruction he’s been given. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Ceballos is the better and more creative passer out of the two of them and he has also been forced to pass sideways. That tells a story. People can say what they like about Ozil, but he provides options and… Read more »
And if I might, fuck that brute cunt Maupay and his big mouth. May a thousand Stoke orchs shin and stud him every day for the rest of his life as well as in the afterlife.
Wow, our club is not normally associated with luck. You never know, with this kind of good news, we might finish in the top ten.
That is a result make no mistake. I’m amazed he got away with it. Happy days…
lol best result we’ve had since the restart.
*giggles in delight*
Nothing to suggest that Guendouzi was retaliating for Leno. Maupay said the dispute was about his trash talking throughout the game. Either way, very lucky he didn’t get suspended as the squad is already threadbare.
That’ll be Maupay who didn’t push Leno, because he’s not that kind of player?
Maupay is a jerk, no question. But the fact is no one retaliated when the Leno incident happened. A couple even fist-bumped Maupay after Leno berated him. The after-match incident could just as easily arisen because Maupay was taunting Guendouzi about having blown a lead after mouthing off all game. Either way, the kid needs to channel his passion into his game not his trash talk.
even if guendouzi was mouthing off all game, when youve made a foul on a player and it looks to have a chance to be career ending, you keep your head down.
lets just hope maupay goes the way of deeney and his cojones
That’s true. A player needs to empathize in circumstances like Lenos especially when you are the cause of the enjury. Shame on you Maupay.
One of my three things I want to happen before this season ends is for AMN to come in and become the Defensive midfield destroyer we need.
He’s done nothing to suggest he’s any more capable than Guendouzi or the rest.
He has in his former position, Maitland at RB any day for me over that Guendouzi DM shitshow against Brighton
Whether you like Guendouzi or not, he’s the only one with some kind of passion and fighting spirit. It’s frustrating to see how dull and uninterested the rest of the squad seem like.
I know it was because he scored, but I wonder if the theatrical collapse when Guendouzi tapped his stomach just before the end was the additional cause for reaction.
Either way Guendouzi needs to be aware that he is targeted by opponents and referees alike and must not react in a way which will harm his team.
Torriera’s not suspended is he?
They both out to injury no, with LT on his way back?..
Well, that’s one bit of good news. And about time the FA cut us some slack.
Luis is our best DM. Poor central defender but would have a bit of protection at DM.
I’m not necessarily saying he’s a good DM, just our best.
How is Xhaka suspended? And Torreira suspended?
Also, I think Maupay is more suited to the prem than Laca will ever be, just saying.
That’ll be our player of the year from last season that you’re referring to?
Pablo Mari to Arsenal is done. Information from Brazil.
It would have done us a favour if Guendouzi was suspended.
My midfield choice for Saints would be Ozil Willock Ceballos, Willock had a mare against City but he was hardly alone.
Oh and Martinelli please.
Distraction from our bigger problems. Midfield. Guendouzi shows plenty of fight but also shows relative inexperience. To bank on him AND Willock plus a Ceballos likely with sights set away from us is foolhardy to say the least. We are paying for a lack of coherency in our purchases. As mentioned in January, Arteta had opportunity to stamp his identity but preferred to demure to Sanlehi (Something Emery was guilty off for too long). Instead of getting Mari and Soares (injured) we should have made a proper bid for Emre Can. Instead he went on… Read more »
Emre Can is the wrong answer to any question.
Emre Can’t
As mentioned in January and every day since, Emre can
What about punishment for Maupay?
I’m not a rich man, neither am I a tory or a person who believes in the economic disparity which plagues human society. (Surely not a caveat needed on burnley forums lol)
But If reports are true Guendouzi was in the brighton players faces all game basically calling them “broke mfs” -I’m insanely proud of the lad and also LOL.
He is more important to this squad than most people will realise.
If he was going around the pitch boasting that Brighton players earn so much less the arsenal players, which is what I read today, then he’s an arsehole, no defending that, a complete arsehole who does lack humility, he’s achieved nothing in football, burned bridges with more managers than he has had clubs and needs to give his hairy head a serious shaking. No place for that at the club, considering the position we are now the neck of him to brag about earning more than the Brighton lads.. Who then beat us
Maybe he should be focusing his anger and aggression on the pitch and not try to strangle the opposition. Apparently he also said that he earns more than Brighton players ever would. Don’t know about you but for me there’s a difference between being determined and dogged and being an asshole. All those fights amount to nothing if you can’t show the same determination on the pitch. It doesn’t matter if he’s our player, if it’s wrong it’s wrong and we have to call it out.