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Gabriel Jesus could face FA punishment after his celebration for Arsenal in their win over Aston Villa
Gabriel Jesus scored his first goal since his return to full fitness in a fantastic victory for Arsenal over Aston Villa. Emotions were high for both teams during and after the game as the Gunners moved six points clear of Unai Emery’s side.
Arsenal have been a side often found to be on the receiving end of criticism for celebrations, be it for being too much, too soon or too far, which has often been feverishly pushed back against from the Gunners’ faithful. The Gunners might again be at the centre of another discussion and a potential sanction.
When Jesus scored, he took off his shirt to reveal a message underneath: “I belong to Jesus.” Not an original shirt message, and instead inspired by Brazilian legend Kaka, who wore the shirt in 2007 as AC Milan won against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final.
However, the reason that Jesus could be in line for a potential sanction is due to the rules laid out by The FA.
As is set out in the FA's Law 4 covering 'the player's equipment' the rules state: "Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer's logo.
"For any offence, the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA."
That being said, Cody Gakpo, who also revealed a replica of the same message in April 2025, did not receive a sanction. Instead, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, the FA wrote to the Dutch winger and Liverpool to remind the player of the sport’s kit and advertising regulations, but would not charge.
Whether the FA decide to take action this time or instead follows the same process as was seen last April remains to be seen. The FA have been approached for comment.
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