Arsenal will have to deal with a new ball in Sunday's FA Cup match against Manchester United, days after boss Mikel Arteta's bizarre apology over the ball used in their defeat to Newcastle.
The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by the Magpies in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates on Tuesday as the in-form Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon got on the scoresheet.
Arsenal dominated much of the match but were toothless in attack, with the Gunners mustering 23 shots but only three of them were on target.
And after the match, Arteta bizarrely brought up the match ball as he overturned his side's defeat.
He said: 'We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it's difficult that these balls fly a lot, so there are details we can do better.
“But ultimately that's over, there's no going back (and) it's about the next game and that's our world, reality.”
Addressing the issue further, Arteta added: 'No, it's just different. It's very different to Premier League ball and you have to adapt to that.
“It flies differently… when you touch it, the grip is very different, so you have to adapt to that.”
And, perhaps adding to Arteta's frustrations, Miter – who supply the balls for the FA Cup – has revealed that a custom-made example will be used in Arsenal's third round match against United this weekend.
This is to celebrate the Red Devils becoming the current league owners after beating arch-rivals Man City in the final last year.
The ball differs only slightly from the usual ball used in the FA Cup, and has gold accents across its entire surface.
It will be the third ball the Gunners have faced in three games, given the use of the Premier League ball in last weekend's top-flight match against Brighton.
Arteta's comments about the Carabao Cup ball came after Pep Guardiola branded the Miter ball used in the Carabao Cup last-16 win against Wolves in October 2017 as 'highly unacceptable', at a time when the Gunners boss was the Spaniard's number two.
Meanwhile, the EFL responded to Arteta's comments on Wednesday, revealing the Arsenal boss is the first to raise concerns about the match ball.
'As required during the professional game, the PUMA ball used in the Carabao Cup this season and in the EFL competition since 2021-2022 has been tested in accordance with the FIFA Quality Program for Football and complies with the FIFA Quality Pro- standard,” an EFL spokesperson said. .
'In addition to the Carabao Cup, the same ball has been used successfully in other major European competitions, including Serie A and La Liga and our three divisions in the EFL.
“All clubs are playing with the same ball and we have not received any further comments of this nature following the previous 88 matches that have taken place in the Carabao Cup this season.”
Arteta's comments left many fans and pundits baffled, with both Jamie Redknapp and Michael Dawson attacking the Arsenal boss on Sky Sports on Wednesday.
“We were there last night, I was surprised he came out with that,” Redknapp said. “I was disappointed that he said it when we were on air.
“We've all heard excuses. “I understand that it is different to the PUMA ball because of the Nike ball, but the only problem it has next year is that it will be the Puma ball that will be used in the Premier League.”
Dawson, meanwhile, backed Redknapp's claim and suggested Arteta was simply looking for something to blame for his side's defeat.
“There's a difference, but would I have said that after last night's performance?” Dawson said. 'Certainly not.
'Mikel Arteta makes excuses. They must have trained with that ball, there is no doubt about that. I experienced it in 2010 during the South Africa World Cup (with the Jabulani ball).
'You can't make those excuses, because they didn't miss opportunities or achieve such a performance.
“I was surprised he came out and said it.”
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