Porto coach Sergio Conceicao has accused Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta of insulting his family during Tuesday’s Champions League clash between the two clubs, marking a continuation of confrontations with opposing managers following defeats.
Arsenal clinched victory over Porto on penalties at the Emirates Stadium, propelling them to the quarterfinals. Post-match, Conceicao, and Arteta engaged in a prolonged exchange, with Conceicao appearing to reprimand Arteta while gesturing emphatically. Arteta responded by shaking his head as he walked away.
Conceicao, speaking in Portuguese after the match, alleged that Arteta directed insults towards his family during the game, reminiscent of similar incidents involving other managers. He stated, “During the game, (Arteta) turned to the bench and in Spanish — it must be a Spanish coach thing because it was the same thing with (Pep) Guardiola — he insulted my family.”
Conceicao further added, “In the end, I told him to pay attention because who he insulted is no longer with us, and to worry about coaching his team, because due to individual quality, he must do more and better.”
However, when queried about the altercation in his post-match press conference, Arteta offered no comment before departing from the podium. This isn’t the first time Conceicao has made such accusations against rival managers.
In 2020, following a group-stage defeat to Manchester City, Conceicao claimed that Guardiola “spoke about our country using ugly words” and criticized the City manager’s demeanor as “extremely unpleasant.” Additionally, after Porto’s loss to Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League quarterfinals, he accused then-Blues manager Thomas Tuchel of insulting him during the match.
