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Last Updated: Sep 28th, 2003 - 13:09:18
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The FA seem to have charged everyone at Arsenal with everything in an attempt to show that they are determined to crack down on bad behaviour. Given their record, the only surprise is that the entire Highbury squad were not simultaneously ordered to appear before the Hutton Inquiry.
What happened against Manchester United at Old Trafford last week was certainly unsavoury, particularly the incident after the final whistle, with so many Arsenal men pushing and shoving Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
He didn't do anything to deserve it and showed great presence of mind to walk away, although if I were outnumbered five to one, I probably would have walked away too.
No one can condone what Arsenal did and the players themselves will admit privately that they were out of order. But having said all that, it wasn't a big punch-up.
It was petty, childish and, quite frankly, sad rather than malicious. We have seen a lot worse than that over the years and regular occurrences in other sports. And if it had happened after a Leicester-Bolton match, you would not have heard another word about it.
In that sense, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is right when he says his club are treated differently to everyone else. But that goes with the territory and the high profile, and his club's disciplinary record has clearly caught up with them.
His apology, such as it was, was a step in the right direction, though even before that, I couldn't imagine that the FA would hand out long bans to all those charged because the involvement of some of them was minimal.
That cannot be said of Martin Keown, who is an intense competitor who probably has a lower flashpoint than many others. Yet in hindsight, he will regret the way he reacted to Van Nistelrooy's penalty miss and so, I hope, will Lauren.
Arsenal fans may be incensed at the effect any bans are likely to have on their Premiership title chances.
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