YOU’RE A DISGRACE
What ranting Wenger said to ref Dean
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 89thminute 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 yesterday, 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”.’
Wenger admitted the charge, while Arsenal submitted a ‘detailed response’.
The FA report said: ‘Mr Wenger is an incredibly experienced manager. He has occupied this position since 1996. This is his second misconduct charge within a 12-month period. There is no justification for this behaviour.’
The FA considered a stadium ban, but decided it was ‘not warranted’, and imposed a touchline suspension instead.
Meanwhile, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is expected to join Arsenal from Manchester United despite a warning from his agent that he could derail Alexis Sanchez’s transfer to Old Trafford. It has become clear that United have beaten Manchester City in the race to sign Sanchez. But Mkhitaryan’s agent Mino Raiola insisted he will either leave on his own terms or jeopardise the swap deal with Sanchez.
However, it is understood that Mkhitaryan (below) accepts he has no future at United and is now looking to negotiate an increase on his £140,000-a-week contract when he moves.
Raiola said: ‘It’s up to Arsenal to put a deal in place and right now a deal is a long way off.
‘Sanchez is part of Mkhi’s deal. Not the other way around.’
Another man close to joining Arsenal is Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has agreed personal terms. The deal is being held up because Dortmund want to buy a replacement first. JUAN MATA could leave United for nothing at the end of the season after it emerged that the club have yet to activate a 12-month option to extend his contract until next year.