How the EFL hit back in 2017 at Carabao Cup ball complaints as Mikel Arteta moans after 2-0 Arsenal defeat
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Mikel Arteta has been ridiculed for complaining about the Carabao Cup ball after Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle on Tuesday.
Goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon helped the Magpies down Arsenal and put one foot in the Carabao Cup final – although the Spaniard expressed his dissatisfaction with the ball when speaking after the game.
Mikel Arteta said: “We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot. It’s very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies different. When you touch it the grip is very different as well, so you adapt to that.”
Given the fact both sides used the same ball, the 42-year-old has been widely mocked on social media for his verdict on the equipment, but this is not actually the first time the EFL (English Football League) have received complaints about the Carabao Cup ball.
How the EFL responded when Pep Guardiola criticised Carabao Cup ball in 2017
Back in October 2017 – while Arteta was Assistant Manager to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City – the EFL issued an official statement to defend the Carabao Cup ball.
Guardiola had complained about it after his Manchester City side needed a penalty shootout to knock Wolves – a Championship team at the time – out in Round Four, believing it was “not a serious ball for a professional game” at this level.
In full, the Spaniard said: “To score with that ball is a miracle. It’s unacceptable to play with the ball. It is not a serious ball for a professional game. I can say that after we win. If we don’t win and I say that it is an excuse.
“We get one day or two days (to use it in training) but if a ball is bad it is bad two days, one week, one month, one year, two years. If it is bad, it is bad.”
The EFL were not happy, hitting back with a statement which read: “The Mitre ball used in this season’s Carabao Cup is of exactly the same technical specification as the balls used in the Sky Bet EFL and Checkatrade Trophy, all of which are tested in accordance with the FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs and meet the FIFA Quality Pro standard.
“All balls used in the professional game are required to meet this standard. Clearly, preference is a subjective matter, but overall the entertainment provided across last night’s round-four ties would suggest that the ball used is not having a negative impact in the competition.
“We will look to engage with Mr Guardiola and Manchester City to fully understand any concerns in advance of their round-five tie.”
PUMA have since taken the responsibility from Mitre of creating balls for EFL competitions, but the same FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs tests would have still taken place, so by that logic, the EFL will surely just echo what they said in 2017 if they feel the need to officially address Arteta’s comments.
What Yaya Toure said about the Carabao Cup ball
Yaya Toure – like Guardiola – was also unhappy with that Mitre ball, claiming that it is too “light” to be used at this level of football.
The Ivorian said: “I don’t like it, to be honest. They can do better than that. It’s too light. Even in my country they can’t use those kind of balls.
“I think they have to be better than that because the ball was too soft. It’s rubbish. The World Cup one (Adidas Jabulani) was better than that one.
“A lot of players were complaining. The FA must try to do something because we just want to enjoy it.
“It’s difficult to play with these kind of balls but we try to find a way. It’s everything. Shooting – the ball is very light, when you touch it, it’s floating, it’s rubbish.”
Clearly – despite widespread ridicule – Arteta, who wants Nico Williams at Arsenal, is not the only one to have expressed dissatisfaction with the balls used in EFL competitions.
