As Mikel Arteta waits to discover what punishment will be meted out to him by The FA after his charge over comments made following the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle, the Arsenal boss insists that it’s important managers can speak freely about incidents in games.
Harking back to what he said in the aftermath of the initial furore, the Spaniard believes everyone is on the same page in terms of improving standards, and once the discourse remains respectful, it should allow all concerned to move things forward in a positive way.
Asked if he felt somewhat undermined by Howard Webb’s TV show, which seemed to downplay any complaints he might have had about Anthony Gordon’s goal, Arteta told the press this morning, “I think we want to improve the game, all of us. Referees, managers, official, owners, sporting directors, you guys.
“We all want a better game, that’s it. And to have a better game we have to have freedom of speech, respectfully, in a constructive way, but we have to promote that.
“If not, you don’t get better, that’s for sure. And it’s good that they are talking in front of the media and explaining the situation.
“I think it brings clarity.”
It’s a diplomatic response to what has happened, where certain events appear to cherry-picked for the benefit of officials and the PGMOL, but there’s little else he can say in order to keep things on a constructive track.
Nor is the fact he could face a touchline ban about to stop him speaking out when he feels it’s necessary.
“I’m going to speak,” he continued, referencing meetings with PGMOL.
“I think you have to be yourself. And as a leader, you have to be authentic. You cannot be someone that you are not. And this is who I am. Here, when I’m on the pitch, when I’m there.
“I want to think that we have to talk to make things better, that we have meetings and I talk in a really straightforward way two days before that meeting. Really straightforward about certain opinions that I had … face to face.
“I want to have to talk about myself and be critical about myself and I’m the best one to do it.
“When I have to be very positive, I have to be. That’s what people expect, that at the end we have a role, we have a responsibility and we have to stand for our actions and the way we are.”
My manager! There is a bit in the Bhagavad Gita that says, “If someone abuses you, again and again, and you do nothing to stop it, you have to take part of the responsibility” We’ve been on the wrong end of decisions too many times and it is right to hold those who fail in their duty, to be held accountable. PGMOL and the FA think they are above censure, and that is wrong.
Don’t understand how we can be issued apologies every couple of months for the next referring mistake.
But when you take issue with one immediately after the fact, you’re essentially gagged.
Hardly like they’re beyond dispute.
“And it’s good that they are talking in front of the media and explaining the situation.”
“I think it brings clarity.”
If the intent of the above is what I hope it is then it’s a genius way of saying that they incriminated themselves without saying it outright. It’s downright Machiavellian.
Nobody wants to live in a state when the police can make serious mistakes and no one is allowed to challenge it. We live in a liberal democracy with freedom of speech and power with accountability, not in North Korea, Saudi Arabia or Russia. It is not an offence in England to offend those in power. The FA and the PGMOL have to understand that and behave accordingly.
I like this dude, the only way will make people understand you is to be truthful about how you feel and how you see things. By doing so, you take your position in any situation you are faced with. You don’t have to accept sh*t from a broken system and hope for a better tomorrow. Like another manager, I heard them voicing his opinion about the talked about subject.
MA and Arsenal can’t afford to back down at this make or break stage. It’s patently obvious that most match officials are decidedly biased against us ……almost like the main criteria for their selection is their dislike for Arsenal. It’s common knowledge that arsenal prefer a minimum contact style of play and therefore soft. The officials know that and so does opposing teams. Most teams don’t come at us to play us but to disrupt our play against them, which is indeed a legit game plan were it not for the means they use to implement it which is abeted… Read more »