Reimagined Content:
HTML Tags Used:
FA confirms that NO action will be taken over Kyle Walker’s heated spat with Arsenal’s set-piece coach after Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat at the Emirates
Nicolas Jover previously worked with Walker at City before joining Arteta’s side.
Guardiola refused to be drawn on what had sparked off between the two men.
Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!‘
By Tamara Prenn For Mailonline
Published: 14:17 BST, 9 October 2023 | Updated: 14:17 BST, 9 October 2023
The FA has chosen not to take action over Kyle Walker’s heated tunnel bust-up with Arsenal’s set-piece coach after the Gunners’ 1-0 victory over Manchester City. The England defender was captured squaring up to Nicolas Jover after he offered Walker a handshake that was rebuffed. Walker’s team-mate Erling Haaland intervened as tensions boiled over between the two sides, as did Emirates security, but the fracas continued as Walker was escorted down the tunnel.
Jover previously coached the 33-year-old during his two-year spell at Man City in the same role, before moving to join ex-assistant coach Mikel Arteta at Arsenal in 2021. The governing body is thought to have made the decision not to pursue the matter due to the speedy resolution of the spat, which was broken up at pace.
Walker squared up to his former set-piece coach after the final whistle on Man City’s defeat. Walker appeared to be angrily exchanging words and jabbing his finger at Jover as other City players and staff from both sides get involved. But Man City manager Pep Guardiola lightly fanned the flames of tension when asked about the incident on Sunday, saying: ‘I know what happened, but I won’t say anything.’ They (Arsenal) know it.
Sky Sports footage showed how Walker dismissed Jover with several waves of his hand and continues walking towards the tunnel after the final whistle. However, after words are exchanged, Walker turns back and directly confronts Jover with the pair practically face-to-face as they continue their row. Haaland also turns around to back Walker up before the situation quickly escalates with coaches from both teams – as well as several other City players – becoming involved. A clearly agitated Walker continues to argue until he is eventually persuaded down the tunnel, pointing his finger in the face of an Arsenal official at one stage. Another camera angle showed Jover wagging his finger at nobody in particular while being calmed by Bukayo Saka, who was not included in the matchday squad due to injury.
Sunday’s victory marked the first time that Arteta’s side have beaten the English champions during his tenure, and ended a 12-match losing streak by the Gunners against their opponents in sky blue. City’s defeat also marked the third defeat that the club has suffered in their last four matches, after being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle, and losing to Wolves at Molineux in their last Premier League outing. Arsenal boss Arteta insisted after the game that he had not seen the altercation.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said: ‘It looked like he was going to shake his hand, but Kyle didn’t really want to. Jover moved to work for Mikel Arteta, Guardiola’s former No 2, at Arsenal in 2021. Pep Guardiola would not share details on what happened to start the tussle in the capital. Arsenal broke their 12-match duck against the treble winners with the feisty 1-0 win over City.
‘We’re in October, if we were in March or April I could understand the frustration, they probably don’t want to go to Arsenal and lose but it’s not the end of the world.’ Ex-Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, also working for Sky, said a ‘nerve had been hit’ in the post-match fracas. ‘We always look at City and they’ve been very professional and not reacting in situations,’ he added. ‘And that’s where I feel like a nerve’s been hit here, and he’s caught it there definitely.’
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season. It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Share or comment on this article: FA confirms that NO action will be taken over Kyle Walker’s heated spat with Arsenal’s set-piece coach after Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat at the Emirates
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
