By Ian Grant
Arsenal, as a club, have been charged with misconduct, following Sunday’s game, while Ashley Cole, Martin Keown, Lauren, Jens Lehmann, Ray Parlour and Patrick Vieira have had charges levelled at them.
Lauren, has been given two improper conduct charges, also faces a further two charges of violent behaviour, while Keown and Parlour also face one count of violent behaviour each.
Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo have also been charged with improper conduct, while Phil Neville has been warned as to his future conduct.
The FA said Vieira’s charge arose “for failing to leave the field of play following his sending-off, and for instead seeking to confront van Nistelrooy and engaging in a verbal exchange with fourth official Neale Barry.”
Arsenal’s charge arises from the club’s failure to ensure the proper behaviour of the league leaders’ players.
All parties have 14 days to respond to the charges.
The best comment since Sunday is from Martin Curtis in the Independent:
“Sir: The FA must take the bulk of the responsibility for the fracas at the end of the Manchester United v Arsenal match. Given the strength of feeling in the Arsenal camp about their treatment at the Community Shield, appointing Mr Bennett as referee made it almost inevitable that there would be uproar as soon as a controversial decision went against Arsenal.
Vieira was booked for a perfectly good tackle to start the feeling of injustice and then was assaulted by Van Nistelrooy – not only did he leap at Vieira with no view to getting the ball, he also kicked him on the way down.
Nobody likes retaliation, but there is an element of human nature to it – and there was never any possibility of Vieira’s kick making contact. But an act of violent conduct by Van Nistelrooy went punished by just a booking, yet provoked the retaliation that got a second unjustified yellow card for Vieira.
Then what was, at best, a disputable penalty decision was taken by a man who should not have been on the pitch – but who had got one of the Arsenal players sent off. Is it any surprise that the Arsenal players taunted him when he missed and when the game ended a few moments later?
Furthermore, whilst the arguments about the penalty decision were happening [Quinton] Fortune was caught on camera assaulting the Arsenal goalkeeper. Both the referee and the subsequent press reporting ignored that incident. Arsene Wenger said you must punish the cause. He is right. When it doesn’t happen the sort of reaction that took place last Sunday is somewhat inevitable.”
It is worth highlighting the Murdoch/Sky TV/Sun/FA and Man U relationship. With a 10% shareholding in Man U, it is in Sky TVs and the Sun’s interest to highlight Arsenal’s misdemeanours. It is the fundamental business principle to drive shareholder value. Like the government fag packets, Sky TV and the Sun should carry a permanent warning: “We have a 10% shareholding in Manchester United.”
Incidentally, the FA were discredited yesterday by the highly respected Institute of Public Policy and Research, who said they were too close to the Premiership to guard it’s long term interests and make arm’s length decisions.