BBC Sport’s Simon Stone has revealed that Matteo Guendouzi will face no punishment after he choked Brighton’s Neal Maupay as the Gunners fell to a 2-1 defeat.
The shocking incident, which sparked a mass scuffle between both teams, can be seen here. The powers at be have certainly set a dangerous precedent with this outcome.
Guendouzi was obviously bitter after Arsenal wasted a 1-0 lead in trademark fashion against Brighton, the midfielder’s actions were certainly uncalled for and crossed a line in terms of violence on the pitch.
The relevant football governing bodies had the perfect chance to make an example in this case, instead they’ve shied away from doing so.
Matteo Guendouzi will face no further action following his altercation with Neal Maupay @OfficialBHAFC on Saturday.
The incident was missed by the match officials but was reviewed by VAR at the time.— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) June 22, 2020
Here’s some reaction from football fans to the outcome:
Disgraceful
— Abdul (@Actor_Abdul) June 22, 2020
He choked Maupay though?
— ?R??? ?? (@WilliamsRole) June 22, 2020
So players are allowed to grab each other’s throats…good to know
— Vishy (@vishy_united) June 22, 2020
Usual Arsenal bias from the FA. Couldn’t give Dembele a 6 match ban in 2016 any quicker if they tried
— V1906789 (@ftV1906V) June 22, 2020
That’s a disgrace
— Lee (@Mack_Squared) June 22, 2020
Well they just set the standard so you’re allowed to grab people by the throats then. I don’t want to see any sending offs for the exact same reason then
— Matt Fuller ? (@mattfuller5) June 22, 2020
? So, in simple terms, footballers can strangle each other and nothing will happen. Brilliant
— Jack Scanlon (@JackScanlon19) June 22, 2020
This ruling could prove to be quite dangerous in the future, now any player that commits such an action can point to this case in order to deem whey they should face no punishment.
The Football Association (FA) and Premier League have also opened themselves up to claims that they are biased, as players of other teams have been banned for similar – perhaps even less serious cases of violent conduct.
It will be interesting to see how Arsenal fans would react to similar situation against their own team.
Do some of these supporters have a leg to stand on when they’ve called for Maupay to face punishment for injuring Bernd Leno in a non-malicious collision that happens in games all the time, when their own player has been blatantly violent and faced no penalty?