Manchester United and Arsenal have been warned they face an FA investigation after a 20-man brawl erupted during the Red Devils’ FA Cup win at the Emirates Stadium
Manchester United and Arsenal have been put on notice that they could be under investigation following a fiery 20-player brawl during Sunday’s FA Cup clash at the Emirates Stadium.
The third-round grudge match, which saw United emerge victorious in a penalty shootout despite being a man down for over 70 minutes, was marked by high tensions. Referee Andy Madley had his hands full trying to maintain control of the game in London, handing out yellow cards to nine individuals, including Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
United’s Diogo Dalot received two yellow cards, leading to his dismissal on the hour mark, further fuelling the already simmering conflict. The flashpoint came when Madley ruled that Harry Maguire had fouled Kai Havertz in the penalty area, a decision that left United’s players incensed.
This gave Arsenal the chance to turn a 1-0 deficit into a lead after Gabriel Magalhaes equalised Bruno Fernandes’ opening goal, reports the Express. TV cameras switched from a replay of the controversial incident to show a massive melee, with Alejandro Garnacho of United wrestling with Havertz.
Manuel Ugarte then got involved and seemed to headbutt the German forward, causing him to fall to the ground. Despite the severity of the incident, the players involved avoided immediate punishment as Madley missed the incident and there was no VAR in use in the FA Cup third round.
In the aftermath of the victory, United posted a one-word statement on their official account on X. However, former PGMOL chief and FIFA official Keith Hackett believes both clubs could face sanctions for failing to control their players.And Hackett reflected on his own past experiences, bringing up a comparable event in his career which resulted in drastic punishments, including teams losing points after an FA examination.
He shared with Football Insider: “The mass confrontation which may have also seen a player headbutting an opponent will be the subject of an investigation by the Football Association.
“Years ago, I was in the middle of a mass confrontation involving what was a 21-man brawl. I decided not to red card anyone on the basis I might have had more than a handful walking in the direction of the tunnel.
“So I submitted a detailed report to the Football Association, who investigated and both teams were deducted points. I have no doubt that both teams will be charged for failing to control their players.
“The question that we can ask if VAR was in operation, that would have been reviewed and the result may well have secured a different outcome.”