Mikel Arteta is facing allegations of making a derogatory comment about the deceased mother of Porto’s head coach, Sergio Conceicao, following Arsenal’s victory in the Champions League match on Tuesday night.
Arsenal clinched a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals after triumphing over Porto in a penalty shootout, with David Raya making crucial saves.
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Post-match, during the celebration, there was a confrontation between Conceicao and Arteta. Conceicao claimed in the press conference that Arteta had made a disparaging remark about his family on the sidelines.
A report by MailOnline cites a source close to Conceicao claiming that Arteta uttered a disrespectful Spanish phrase, which translates to a vulgar term.
This alleged remark was reportedly overheard by members of Conceicao’s coaching team and the substitutes from Porto.
It’s noted that Conceicao experienced the loss of his mother during his teenage years, and his father passed away in a motorcycle accident when Conceicao was 16, just after signing his first professional contract with Porto.
Arsenal has issued a strong denial of the accusations leveled against Arteta.
In his press conference after Porto’s Champions League exit, Conceicao said of his spat with Arteta: ‘During the game he turned to the bench and in Spanish, it must be a Spanish coach thing because it was the same thing with [Pep] Guardiola, he insulted my family.
‘In the end I told him to pay attention because the person he insulted is no longer with us, and I told him to worry about coaching his team, because due to individual quality he has an obligation to do more and better.’
When asked for his version of events after the match, Arteta said, ‘no comment’.
