Arsenal's Unai Emery Charged by FA For Kicking Water Bottle Toward Fans

The Football Association has charged Unai Emery after the Arsenal head coach kicked a water bottle that ended up hitting a home fan during the Gunners' 1-1 away draw to Brighton & Hove Albion on Boxing Day.

BBC Sport confirmed the FA's action, with English football's governing body feeling the incident constituted improper conduct. It was not detailed in the match officials' report of the game.

It means Emery could face either a fine or suspension ahead of a busy period of fixtures in both the Premier League and FA Cup. The 47-year-old can respond with an appeal or acceptance of the charge by Wednesday, January 2.

Emery now faces an anxious wait to find out the exact nature of the punishment. Unfortunately, history says the Spaniard may be wise to expect a suspension.

Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Jose Mourinho received a one-match ban after being found guilty of a similar incident while in charge of Manchester United back in 2016.

A suspension would be ill-timed with Arsenal facing a difficult trip to Anfield to face league leaders Liverpool on Saturday. The Gunners are then in action on New Year's Day when they host relegation-threatened Fulham at the Emirates Stadium.

Emery needs the points with Arsenal on a run of just two wins in the last six matches across all competitions. Aside from draws against Manchester United and Brighton, Emery's men lost 3-2 away to Southampton and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage by local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Those results have raised questions about Emery's ability to rebuild Arsenal after replacing Arsene Wenger in the summer. Emery had guided the Gunners to a 22-match unbeaten run in all competitions, but the recent struggles have left his team fifth and two points outside the top four.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Being eliminated from a cup competition Arsenal reached the final of during Wenger's last season also casts doubts on the idea progress is being made.

Emery needs to steady the ship, although it won't be easy against red-hot Liverpool. However, the former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain's boss' influence on the touchline would surely be missed.

If Emery does have grounds for an appeal, it may come from him offering an apology to the Brighton fan struck by the bottle: "I said to them I'm sorry. It wasn't hard but it touched one supporter."

GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

There's also the fact match officials didn't deem the incident worth making note of or pursuing further. Emery is said to have spoken with the fourth official about his actions after offering his apologies to nearby supporters.

Whatever punishment he faces, this latest incident comes at an unwanted time for a manager beginning to face genuine scrutiny for the first time since taking the job.