An FA charge against Arsenal for failing to control their fans during the Premier League match against Manchester United in March has been dismissed.

Arsenal's Spanish head coach Unai Emery gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London, on March 2, 2019. (Photo by Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)
Arsenal’s Spanish head coach Unai Emery gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London, on March 2, 2019. (Photo by Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)

Arsenal received an FA charge in March for failing to ensure that their spectators conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or retrained from improper behaviour and/or refrained from encroaching onto the pitch.

The charge related to an Arsenal fan who ran onto the pitch and gave Chris Smalling a push whilst celebrating a goal.

It was only a small shove, and nothing close to the kind of assault we saw that same week by a Birmingham City fan on Jack Grealish. Nonetheless, it was still unnecessary and could have potentially landed Arsenal with a fine to pay.

On Friday, however, the Independent Regulatory Commission found the charge ‘not proven’. As a result, the charges have been dropped, three months after they were initially levelled against the club.

In the end, all the incident amounted to was a waste of time for everyone involved.