admin
LONDON. – Arsene Wenger has confirmed he will accept his Football Association misconduct charge after being sent from the touchline during Arsenal’s English Premier League win over Burnley last Sunday.Wenger has also requested a personal hearing over the clash with an official that is set to see him banned. The Gunners boss was sent to the stands by referee Jon Moss after allegedly using abusive or insulting language towards fourth official Anthony Taylor after an injury-time penalty was awarded to the Clarets.
Wenger then tried to watch the remainder of the contest from the entrance to the tunnel and appeared to push Taylor, who was asking him to retreat.
Arsenal went on to win the game 2-1 after being awarded an even later penalty of their own, but Wenger was charged on Monday and revealed ahead of his side’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Southampton that he will not contest the decision.
Wenger could face a fine or touchline ban, but, asked yesterday if he would accept the charge, he said: “Yes, I answered that in the press conference, I have little more to add.
“I am big enough to stand up for what I do. When I don’t behave like I think I should behave, I am big enough to say I am not right. “I’m a passionate guy and I believe that I am completely committed in my job and want to win the football games.”
While Wenger accepts the charge, he will request a personal hearing with the FA to state his case and wants clarity on the rules for when a manager is sent to the stands.
The 67-year-old knows Alan Pardew was banned for two matches and fined £20 000 after accepting an improper conduct charge following an incident in August 2012 when he shoved assistant referee Peter Kirkup.
But Wenger didn’t want to speculate on how the FA would punish him and refused to be drawn on what he would say in his defence.
“I don’t think I need to especially come out with that now,” he said.
“I think I have said what I think I have to say publicly, the rest will be a bit more discreet.” “I came out after the game and I said what I think I had to say. When I don’t behave like I think I should behave, I’m big enough say ‘yes, that’s not right’, and that’s it.”
Wenger did defend his decision to stand at the top of the tunnel, insisting there are no instructions where a manager is to go once dismissed from the touchline.
Wenger referenced an incident at Manchester United in 2009 when he was sent off in injury-time for kicking a bottle and ended up behind the dugout with the home fans.
“When I was sent off I was surprised and I was in the tunnel because I thought I had the right to be in the tunnel,” he said.
“Last time I was sent off wrongly, in 2009, I had to go in the stand at Old Trafford and I didn’t know where to go. No one tells you what you have to do when you are sent off.”
Asked if the guidelines need to be made clearer, he added: “I think so, because you don’t know where to go.” Another Gunner in trouble is Granit Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder is suspended for tomorrow’s FA Cup clash with Southampton after being sent off against Burnley.
And he has also been accused of racially abusing a Heathrow staff member.
Wenger said: “There are two incident. One is the sending off, I felt that was harsh when I watched it again. It was not a dangerous tackle, it was a clumsy tackle. I don’t think he wanted to injure anybody.
“The other incident, at Heathrow, he denies completely. I have talked with him about it and he completely denies what happened there.”
Meanwhile, Wenger has confirmed Theo Walcott is set to return to the Arsenal squad this weekend. Walcott hasn’t played for the Gunners since the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in December.
He is set to be part of the squad for the FA Cup fourth round clash at Southampton tomorrow. Club captain Per Mertesacker and Mathieu Debuchy are also in full training. But Santi Cazorla is still missing.
“We have Walcott back in the squad,” the Arsenal boss said. “Elneny is at the African Cup of Nations. Mertesacker and Debuchy are back in training which is good.
“No, Santi (is not in training) no.”
Granit Xhaka is unavailable as he begins his four-match ban. – Sky Sports.
Online Reporter