Arsenal charged after players confronted referee over Myles Lewis-Skelly red
Lewis-Skelly’s dismissal was overturned on appeal but the Gunners have now been charged with failing to control their players.
Arsenal have been charged with failing to control their players in the wake of Myles Lewis-Skelly’s controversial sending-off during Saturday’s Premier League game at Wolves.
Gunners players protested to referee Michael Oliver following the dismissal, which was subsequently overturned following an appeal.
The FA said in a statement: “Arsenal FC has been charged after its players surrounded a match official during their Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on Saturday, 25 January.
“The club allegedly failed to ensure that its players did not behave in an improper manner around the 43rd minute. Arsenal FC has until Monday, 3 February, to provide a response.”
Lewis-Skelly was sent off for serious foul play after bringing down Matt Doherty shortly before half-time and Oliver’s decision was ratified by VAR.
Oliver’s decision infuriated Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and was widely criticised by pundits, with Alan Shearer calling it “one of the worst decisions that I’ve seen in a long time”.
The FA released its written reasons for overturning the decision on Thursday, confirming Myles-Skelly’s challenge should not have been considered “serious foul play”.
In its verdict the FA said: “The commission members were unanimous in their opinion that the referee had made an obvious error in sending off [Lewis-Skelly] for the challenge that he had made.
“The challenge was certainly ‘Foul Play’ but it obviously could not, to the mind of the commission, be categorised as having been ‘Serious Foul Play’.
“[Lewis-Skelly] had stepped across his opponent and tripped him up, possibly deliberately, but in doing so he had obviously not endangered the safety of his opponent or used excessive force or brutality, nor had he ‘lunged’ in at his opponent.”
