Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been fined £2,500 by the
Football Association for comments he made about an assistant
referee following the Carling Cup final. At a disciplinary hearing,
the Gunners boss denied a charge of improper conduct and/or
bringing the game into disrepute for his remarks after the clash
with Chelsea on February 23, which his side lost in controversial
fashion.
However, the FA commission found against the Frenchman and
concluded that his use of the word "lie" when describing the
assistant's intervention, which led to the sending-off of Emmanuel
Adebayor, constituted improper conduct.
Wenger made the comment after seeing three of his players -
Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue - sent off following a
scuffle at the end of the match in Cardiff. In bringing the charge
against him in March, the FA demanded an explanation both for his
comments about the assistant referee and his remark that "the whole
system is not honest" after seeing Adebayor's appeal against a
three-game ban dismissed.
Wenger said at the time: "The officials made a mistake. Adebayor
did not punch Lampard and didn't intend to, we can prove it. It
isn't the truth, I don't accept it. "I cannot accept that our club
is treated like this. "I will defend it to the FA. It was a lie and
is not responsible."
This
latest development just make this Sunday's match more
interesting... 