adminLONDON. — An “aggressive” Arsene Wenger accused referee Mike Dean of being dishonest and a “disgrace” after Arsenal’s controversial match at West Bromwich on New Year’s Eve.
The Arsenal boss was incensed when Dean awarded West Brom an 89th-minute penalty and barged into the referees’ dressing room after the 1-1 draw, according to an FA report. Wenger was given a three-match touchline ban and fined £40 000, with the FA concluding there was “simply no justification” for his behaviour.
The Frenchman was also warned about his comments before and after Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea on January 3, when he again complained about the West Brom game, saying Dean “saw what he wanted to see” and suggested there was a refereeing bias against his team. The FA report, released on Tuesday, featured written testimony from Dean, his assistant referees and the fourth official, who all recorded almost identical accounts of events.
Dean wrote: “As we’ve entered the dressing room after the game, Mr Wenger stood behind us in the doorway and told the West Brom steward to ‘let him in’. “He was very aggressive, leaning towards me, pointing aggressively at me, saying, ‘You’re not honest’. I replied, ‘So you’re calling me a cheat’.
“He replied, ‘I maintain what I say, you’re not honest. you’ve done this to us many times before, you’re supposed to be professional, you’re a disgrace’. — The Mailonline.
Online Reporter