FA CHARGES JACK WILSHERE

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has been charged by the Football Association over an alleged gesture made during the fixture with Manchester City at the Etihad
Stadium last weekend.

Television cameras picked up Wilshere raising his middle finger in the direction of home supporters during the second half
of Arsenal's 6-3 defeat. Wilshere has until 6pm on Wednesday
(local time) to respond to the charge. Press Association Sport understands the FA took its time to gather evidence to understand the context of the situation having received the observations of
referee Martin Atkinson and his officials on Monday, and has now decided there isba case to answer.
A statement from the FA read: "Arsenal midfield player Jack Wilshere has been charged by the FA with making an offensive and/or insulting and/or abusive
gesture.
"The charge follows an alleged gesture made during the fixture between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 14 December. The
incident was not seen by match officials, but was caught on video.
"Wilshere has been charged
retrospectively by the FA under a new pilot project for potential 'not seen' incidents in Premier League matches.
"Under the new process, if an incidentvhas not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel will be asked by the FA to review it and advise what, if any action, they believe the match referee
should have taken had it been witnessed at the time.
"For an FA charge to follow, all three panel members must agree it is a sending-off offence.In this instance,the panel wereunanimous.
"Wilshere has until 6pm on 18 December to respond to the charge."
Such sanctions have been implemented in the past as was the case with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who was suspended for one match, fined £20,000 ($36,523)
and warned as to his future conduct after he made a gesture to home fans as he walked off the pitch after a 1-0 defeat at Fulham in December 2011.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admitted in his post-match press conference that the club would accept any ban handed out 'if
he did it'. If that is the case, then Wilshere is likely to miss the visit of Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium next Monday evening (Tuesday morning AEDT). Wenger has challenged his side to produce a response from its defeat at City, where defensive frailties were
unearthed once more. However, by the time Arsenal kicks off against Chelsea, it could already be off
the top of the table. Indeed, should Liverpool beat Cardiff City
at Anfield in Saturday's lunchtime (local time) kick-off, followed by a City win at struggling Fulham, then Arsenal would be down in third place on goal difference. Chelsea, currently two points adrift, could
also usurp Wenger's men if Jose Mourinho records another victory over the French coach, while Everton could also close to within a point if it overcomes Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday
afternoon (Monday morning AEDT).

The loss at City was a second on the spin for Arsenal, which went down 2-0 away to Napoli last week as hopes of finishing top of its UEFA Champions League group
evaporated. Consequently, Arsenal was unseeded and so will face holder Bayern Munich in the last 16, the same stage at which it was
knocked out by the German side in 2013. Wenger, though, says his side will have 'nothing to lose' when it faces off early next year, with the second leg set for the
Allianz Arena where Arsenal recorded a famous 2-0 win last season, only to go out on aggregate.
"It is the same draw as last year and we have a good challenge," Wenger told the club's official website.
"We have to be one goal better this time instead of being one goal worse and I believe it is an interesting challenge because we have an opportunity to show
we have learned from it.
"We have all to win and nothing to lose. We can show that we have moved forward since last season."

Wenger feels the additions of combative midfielder Mathieu Flamini and Mesut Ozil, the latter signed in a club-record deal from Real Madrid, coupled with the
German side's purchase of playmaker Mario Gotze under new coach Pep Guardiola will make for an interesting European tie.
"We are different and they are different. How much different are they? I don't know, but they look to play a bit more adventurously and more going forward, and we do as well I must say," the Arsenal boss added.
"We certainly have more offensive
potential with (Mesut) Ozil coming in and we have to find our defensive security back which we have lost over the weekend, but it will be a very interestingchallenge."

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny
remains a doubt for the Chelsea match, having suffered a deep cut to his knee when attempting to prevent City's second goal late in the first half and was unable
to continue.