Mikel Arteta receives grovelling apology after TV presenter claimed he deserved a 'punch'

Arsenal defeated Atletico Madrid on Tuesday to make it through to the Champions League final, but Mikel Arteta was brutally criticised for his antics on the touchline

ESPN presenter Dan Thomas has been forced to issue a grovelling apology after incredibly suggesting on live TV that Mikel Arteta's antics against Atletico Madrid deserved a punch.

The 45-year-old was part of the American broadcaster's coverage of the Champions League semi-final second leg, which saw Arsenal run out 2-1 aggregate winners, with Bukayo Saka scoring the only goal of Tuesday's game at the Emirates.

However, despite the Gunners being the better team and getting through to the final where they will face PSG, Thomas felt Arteta's behaviour on the touchline warranted a 'punch', with fans hitting back at the presenter on social media.

The ESPN presenter was ultimately forced to apologise. He said: "I just want to make reference to something I said yesterday, an off-hand comment that landed literally.

"Obviously, it was not intended to land that way. I’ve thought about it today and I could have phrased it in such a better way.

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"So, going forward I will definitely try not to say anything silly."

The Arsenal boss was his usual animated self on the touchline, chasing down loose balls, venturing outside of his technical area and he was also spotted standing in front of an Atletico player trying to take a throw in.

During the show, Thomas asked the ESPN FC panel: "At what stage, as the opposition coach, do you want to punch Arteta in the face? How much does that annoy you?"

Former Chelsea and Derby midfielder Craig Burley was part of the panel and defended the Arsenal boss, pointing to Diego Simeone's behaviour.

He said "Hold on, the two of them are as bad as each other." However, Thomas did not agree and said: "I thought, today, Arteta out-Simeone'd Simeone. The way he was running around at the end. It’s got to be frustrating, hasn’t it, as an opposition coach?"

Former Arsenal man Stewart Robson sided with his ESPN anchor at the time and said: "What is a coach on the side of the pitch supposed to do? He’s meant to coach the game, he’s meant to give instructions.

"All Arteta does, I think he’s doing it for himself: ‘Look at me, I’m great, I run this club, I do this, I do that… It’s just absolutely pathetic.

"If I was running down the side, I’d make sure I actually topped him. I’d tackle the ball and tackle him at the same time.

"It got to a stage in the game where every time the camera went to him, I had to turn away."