Arsenal and Man Utd to use different ball to everyone else in FA Cup after Mikel Arteta moans
Arsenal's FA Cup third round match against defending champions Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday will be played with a special edition match ball made by Mitre
by Felix Keith · The MirrorMikel Arteta might have to prepare another rant about balls after it emerged that Arsenal will once again have to use unfamiliar ones this weekend.
Arsenal host Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon hoping to bounce back from the 2-0 defeat by Newcastle in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals. Newcastle became the first side to win at the Emirates Stadium since Aston Villa in April on Tuesday night and will have a significant advantage in the return leg next month.
Arteta had an unusual gripe in his post-match press conference, stating that the Puma ball used against the Magpies may have been partly to blame for his side’s lack of accuracy in front of goal. The Arsenal boss might not have been happy to hear the plans for Sunday’s match, which is already the subject of a row over ticket allocations between the two clubs.
FA Cup ball providers, Mitre, have decided to produce a special edition ball for the match to honour United, who are the current holders of the trophy. It means the two sides will play with the FA Cup Ultimax Pro Winners ball.
That is a different ball to the rest of the third-round ties, which will continue to use the standard issue one. The FA will be hoping the match in north London passes off without any ball-based controversy, after the EFL was on the receiving end on Tuesday.
Arteta said: “We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it's tricky that these balls fly a lot so there’s details that we can do better. 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.”
An EFL spokesperson quickly shot back: “As is required throughout the professional game, the PUMA ball used in this season’s Carabao Cup and in EFL competition since 2021/22 is tested in accordance with the FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs, and meets the FIFA Quality Pro standard.
“In addition to the Carabao Cup, the same ball has been successfully used in other major European leagues, including both Serie A and LaLiga and our three divisions in the EFL.
“All Clubs play with the same ball, and we have received no further comments of this nature following any of the previous 88 fixtures which have taken place in this season’s Carabao Cup.”
The third round of the FA Cup begins on Thursday night, with Everton playing Peterborough, and continues until Monday. There are 32 fixtures in total with each tie decided on the day and no replays. Winning and losing sides in the third round will receive £115,000 and £25,000 respectively from the prize fund.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
£46 (was £56)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.