Arsenal have been hit with a £65,000 fine after their angry protests over Myles Lewis-Skelly’s controversial red card during last month’s win over Wolves.
The Gunners were charged by the Football Association (FA) with failing to ensure that their players did not behave in an improper manner during a hard-fought 1-0 Premier League victory at Molineux on January 25 in which Lewis-Skelly was sent off by referee Michael Oliver for a first-half challenge on Matt Doherty that prevented the hosts from launching a counter-attack following an Arsenal corner.
It was a decision - upheld by Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Darren England - that was widely criticised by fans and pundits alike and the teenager later saw his three-match suspension rescinded as the FA upheld the club’s claim of wrongful dismissal.
However, Arsenal were still charged by the FA over their players’ furious response to the red card as several surrounded referee Oliver in animated protest, and have now been fined £65,000 by an independent regulatory commission after admitting the charge.
An FA statement on Monday read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed a £65,000 fine on Arsenal in relation to the Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday 25 January.
“It was alleged that Arsenal failed to ensure their players did not behave in an improper way around the 43rd minute, and the club subsequently admitted to this charge.”
The written reasons for the commission’s decision revealed the level of the fine imposed on Arsenal included several aggravating factors, including the club’s previous five proven breaches of the same FA rule, the number of players involved in the incident (up to nine) and the time it took to unfold, plus the nature of the protests and the persistence involved even after one player - defender Jurrien Timber - was shown a yellow card for dissent.
However, they also took into account in mitigation the fact that Arsenal admitted to the charge and had demonstrated an improved disciplinary record over the last two seasons.
The PGMOL, the referees’ body in England, revealed in the aftermath of last month’s match at Molineux - in which Riccardo Calafiori, brought on at half-time as Mikel Arteta reacted to Lewis-Skelly’s sending off, struck the winning goal after Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes had also been dismissed for two bookable offences - that referee Oliver and his family had received threats and abuse from people on social media, prompting a police investigation.
