19 January 2023 , 20:11
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Tottenham star Richarlison has escaped punishment after his heated altercation with Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the weekend.
The Brazilian striker was involved in an explosive incident following his side’s 2-0 reverse in the North London Derby. He was seen angrily confronting Ramsdale and jabbing a finger in his face before accusing the Arsenal keeper of “disrespect” towards the Spurs fans.
That led to a number of teammates piling in to calm down the bust-up with Richarlison initially escaping any on-pitch punishment from the referee. There was a concern that he could have been handed a retrospective ban for his actions but those fears have very quickly been allayed.
The FA feel the match officials saw the incident and it was not worthy of a red card and will not be handing him a ban. Speaking initially after the incident, the former Everton and Watford star said: “What I really didn’t like was their goalkeeper [Ramsdale].
“He was celebrating in front of our fans, that’s a disrespect to our fans. He should have celebrated with their fans.”
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Richarlison also explained that his compatriot Gabriel Martinelli had been annoying him throughout the match, with the pair having failed to share handshakes. “I’d like to apologise to Martinelli, I told him he was diving a lot, so I didn’t shake his hand," he added.
A number of flashpoints took place after the full-time whistle of the North London Derby (Getty Images)Should Richarlison have been handed further punishment? Share your thoughts in the comments below
"Also with [Gabriel] Magalhaes I told him they were stopping play all the time, I just said, 'let’s play.' "
Following the showdown with Ramsdale, Richarlison was once again left out of the Spurs side for their next Premier League game against Manchester City. The Brazilian was benched in favour of Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski.
The incidents involving Richarlison were not the only flashpoints of the tie in North London with Gunners stopper Ramsdale having been struck by a fan when attempting to retrieve his water bottle come the final whistle. The man, who approached the Arsenal star from the stands, has since been charged by the Metropolitan Police.
Speaking after the incident, Ramsdale said: "The Spurs fans were giving me some throughout the second half, I gave them some back, which to the few people I did do it to, was probably well-greeted, sportsmanship-like.
"Then a fan tried to jump over and give me a little punch on the back. That's what happened and it's a shame because it's just a game of football at the end of the day.
"I think both sets of players tried to bring me away. Thankfully nothing actually happened too drastic. It's a sour taste, but I'm sure we'll enjoy it when we go back in the dressing room."