Matheus Cunha risks ban after outburst during Man United celebration against Arsenal | OneFootball

Matheus Cunha could face a ban after an X-rated outburst was caught on television cameras during Manchester United’s wild celebrations against Arsenal.

The Brazilian, who came off the bench at the Emirates, curled in a stunning late goal to deliver a 3-2 win over the league leaders, maintaining his side’s 100 percent record under interim manager Michael Carrick.

Cunha was mobbed by jubilant team-mates after wheeling away towards the away end, putting the exclamation point on his celebration by looking straight into the camera and shouting something that, while not clearly audible, included expletives.

Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury issued an apology in the fallout of the celebration, saying: “If you heard some bad language in among the celebrations, for that we apologise.

Football Association (FA) rules state that “offensive, insulting or abuse language and/or gestures” will result in the sending off of a player, and while Cunha escaped that punishment on the night, the rules also note that the FA can “take retroactive disciplinary action if the incident is caught on camera or broadcast to a wide audience”.

"The FA views swearing directly into a lens as a 'clear and deliberate' act of misconduct that brings the game into disrepute,” it is stated, with such a misdemeanour having concerned Man United before.

Wayne Rooney was hit with a two-game ban for probably the most well-known example of swearing into the camera, doing so after scoring in a 4-2 comeback win over West Ham.

Ronney admitted to the charge and apologised, though said the punishment was “excessive” as he missed his side’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City due to the suspension.

No official statement has been made on the incident and Carrick has not yet spoken out about Cunha’s profanity, but he was sure to praise the Brazilian for his match-winning heroics.

“Matheus has not started both games, but he’s had a real big impact and he’s been disappointed not to start," Carrick stated.

“But he’s used it in a really good way. Two huge moments and he totally deserves that winning goal for how he’s applied himself all week. I’m absolutely delighted for him."

Should Cunha be slapped with the same punishment as Rooney, he will miss back-to-back matches at Old Trafford against Fulham and Tottenham over the coming fortnight.