Mikel Arteta escaping Arsenal red card in Champions League to lead to major rule change

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Mikel Arteta has potentially sparked a change in football laws after wrongly escaping a red card in the Champions League.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is expected to change the law on coaches interfering with the ball during play. The current rule book says they must be given a red card.

Arteta was deemed to have interfered with play during Arsenal‘s Champions League clash with Inter Milan.

Matteo Darmian was fighting to keep the ball in near Arteta’s technical area, but the Spaniard picked it up before it crossed the line to go out for a throw in.

Arteta was only shown a yellow card though, despite the laws of the game stating he should have received a red.

According to ESPN, the IFAB recommended a change to the law at their Annual Business Meeting on Monday to ensure similar confusion in a similar incident does not happen again.

While the decision at the San Siro was incorrect by law, the IFAB believes when a manager is only picking the ball up to help the game restart quickly, rather than interfere with play, a yellow card is a more suitable punishment.

IFAB’s AGM is on March 1 and the body will need to decide whether to implement the rule or not.

If approved, the new rule would come in in the summer ahead of the new season.

Numerous managers have been given red cards for interfering with play recently.

West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan, Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes and Charlton’s Nathan Jones were all given their marching orders after interfering with play without meaning to.

Despite Arteta swerving his fellow managers’ punishments, Arsenal suffered a 1-0 loss on the road courtesy of Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty.

The Gunners bounced back in Europe was a 5-1 away thrashing of Sporting Lisbon.

IFAB are also contemplating changing the rules surrounding dropped balls.

Right now, if a team has possession and a pass hits the referee, they get the dropped ball regardless.

The proposal is that if the pass is wayward and obviously going to the other team, then the dropped ball should go to opposition.