Mikel Arteta was brandished with his fourth yellow card while managing Arsenal in the 2023/24 Premier League season when they played against Brighton on Sunday. Throughout the season, Arteta has consistently made headlines with his interactions with referees and post-game comments. A prime example of this was when he referred to the officials’ performance in a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle as “a disgrace” and “embarrassing”.
Arteta’s latest caution came in response to a foul committed by Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma on Bukayo Saka. Although Mitoma was booked by referee Tim Robinson, Arteta’s sarcastic reaction also led to him being shown the yellow card. This incident has added to his collection of bookings this season.
During Arsenal’s recent 4-3 win over Luton Town, a victory secured by Declan Rice’s late goal at Kenilworth Road, Arteta was shown a yellow card for excessive celebrating. Consequently, he was forced to watch their subsequent 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa from the stands.
If Arteta accumulates four more bookings, it will result in a two-game touchline ban for the Arsenal manager. He will surely hope to avoid receiving a total of 16 yellow cards, which would then lead to a FA misconduct hearing.
Despite Arteta’s run-ins with disciplinary issues, he managed to defeat an FA charge for alleged misconduct stemming from his comments at Newcastle. An independent commission dismissed the allegations against him, allowing him to continue his managerial duties without interruption.
In Sunday’s match against Brighton, Gabriel Jesus scored the opening goal for the visiting team before Kai Havertz secured a late second goal to seal the win. Despite Arsenal’s disappointing result, the focus remained on Arteta’s on-field behavior and the repercussions he could potentially face due to accumulating yellow cards.
As the season progresses, Arteta will need to tread carefully to avoid further disciplinary issues that could significantly affect his ability to lead Arsenal from the touchline. However, with his team’s performance at the forefront, he will also need to ensure that his interactions with officials do not overshadow their efforts on the pitch.
