YOU’RE A DISGRACE
Fuming Wenger told ref he was ‘dishonest’ over penalty decision
ARSENE WENGER branded Mike Dean a “disgrace” in a remarkable verbal attack on the referee.
The Arsenal boss’s rant at the officials after Dean gave West Brom a last-gasp penalty at the Hawthorns has been revealed, with the FA confirming the full written reasons behind his three-game touchline ban.
And the report also showed his £50,000 fine was reduced to £40,000 after the Frenchman’s £160,000-a-week salary was taken into consideration.
Wenger stormed into the referees’ room straight after the game last month and “aggressively confronted” Dean who awarded a controversial
spot-kick against Calum Chambers (below) which led to Arsenal conceding a late equaliser.
Dean’s account said: “He was leaning towards me, pointing aggressively at me saying ‘you’re not honest’ on numerous occasions.
“I replied, ‘So you’re calling me a cheat?’. He replied, ‘I maintain what I say, you’re not honest’. “He then said, ‘You’ve done this to us many times before, you’re a disgrace’.”
Wenger broke FA guidelines of not entering the referees’ room before 30 minutes after a game. He stood in the doorway, stopped club stewards from closing the door and shouted: “Let me in!” Eventually, Dean told the stewards to let him in.
The FA discussed a stadium ban but took into account Arsenal admitting the charge. They initially wanted a four-game touchline ban but reduced it to three as Wenger also admitted the charge.