London, Oct 14: Arsenal have been given a further 24 hours to respond to the charges brought against the club and six of their players by the English Football Association following the ugly scenes at Old Trafford last month. Arsenal and Manchester United had originally been required to give their official response to request personal hearings or admit any guilt, by the end of last week.
This deadline was extended by the FA until yesterday due to the two clubs' European Champions League commitments but only United had responded by the afternoon, presumably to request hearings for Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs. The FA have nevertheless now given the gunners until today afternoon to respond, when they are expected to request personal hearings for all six of their players.
Arsenal are accused of failing to control their players during the incidents during and after the goalless draw at Old Trafford on September 21, which could net them a hefty fine if found guilty. Martin Keown, Lauren, Ray Parlour, Patrick Vieira, Ashley Cole and Jens Lehmann have also been hit with a total of 11 charges, which could result in suspensions totalling more than 20 matches between them.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has also been asked to explain his outspoken post-match criticism of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, whose clash with Vieira sparked the angry scenes. Bureau Report