Porto’s manager, Sergio Conceicao, has accused his counterpart, Mikel Arteta, of insulting his family, leading to tension between members of Porto and Arsenal following the second leg of the Champions League round of 16.
Following a penalty shootout at the Emirates Stadium, Conceicao approached Arteta and gestured towards the Arsenal manager’s face while apparently saying something to him. Arteta, in response, shook his head indicating denial.
During the post-match press conference, the Portuguese coach explained, “Arteta insulted my family in Spanish. He should have focused on coaching Arsenal.” When questioned about the incident, Arteta stated that he had “no comment.” However, according to sources within Arsenal, the Spanish manager did not make any remarks insulting Conceicao’s family.
Tensions between the two managers had been building since the first leg, where Porto secured a 1-0 victory at the Estadio do Dragao despite only holding 35% possession. Following that match, Conceicao remarked, “Arsenal played football, while Porto won.”
In the return leg, Arsenal won 1-0 to force extra time and ultimately a penalty shootout at the Emirates Stadium. There, goalkeeper David Raya shone with two crucial saves, helping Arsenal win the shootout 4-2 and advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years.
Ahead of the shootout, Conceicao appeared confident while Arteta seemed concerned. Since Arsenal’s last appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2010, Porto had achieved this feat three times prior to this season. Additionally, Porto’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa had a better penalty save percentage than Raya, with 27% compared to 11%, but ultimately failed to stop any penalties.
Conceicao deemed the outcome unjust, believing Porto deserved to progress. Arteta, on the other hand, responded, “Credit to Porto, but we prepared well for the shootout. Praise to the players for showing resilience in decisive moments.”
During extra time, Conceicao was involved in a contentious incident with Arsenal player Kai Havertz. As Havertz hurried to retrieve the ball for a throw-in, Conceicao intervened by kicking the ball away. The German international then pushed the 50-year-old coach, nearly causing him to fall. Players from both teams then engaged in a scuffle, although no punches were thrown.
Conceicao, aged 50, has been leading Porto since 2017 and has secured 10 trophies with the club. Arteta, aged 42, has won three trophies with Arsenal since his appointment in 2019.