Arsene Wenger says that he will request a personal hearing with the FA over the misconduct charges issued to him in the wake of last Sunday’s 2-1 win over Burnley.
The Arsenal manager was sent off by referee Jon Moss and then had a set-to with fourth official Anthony Taylor. He has until 6pm this evening to respond to the charges, and said today that he would be seeking to speak in person at his hearing.
Asked what he might say, the Frenchman said, “I don’t think I should come out with that now.
“I said what I think I had to say publicly, and overall the rest will be a bit more discrete.”
Wenger was asked if it was because there has been talk of a stadium ban, rather than a touchline ban, and he continued, “I don’t know how I will be punished if I am punished, the only thing I can say is that when I was sent off I was surprised, and I was in the tunnel because I thought I had the right to be the tunnel.
“Because the last time I was sent off wrongly, 2009, I had to go into the stands at Old Trafford, I didn’t know where to go.
“Nobody tells you what you have to do when you’re sent off, you don’t know where to go.”
Wenger had earlier said he’d be admitting the charges themselves, but clearly wants to provide his own point of view in person rather than via a letter.
“I answered it in the press conference (where he apologised),” he said.
“I’m in England for 20 years, I’ve seen a lot on the bench as you know. If I’m still in the job it’s because I’m big enough to stand up for what I do, and big enough to know when I do well and not well.”
It’s unclear when a personal hearing would be scheduled, but it’s likely to be some time next week.
Update: Our information is the hearing could take place tomorrow (Friday).
Cunts: Mons. Wenger your defence please?
AW: I built this fucking stadium and no cheating bald fuck will tell me where to stand.
Cunts: Damn that’s good. You’re free to go.
This is one of the best comments I’ve read.
Genius.
Good for him. I’m sure this will help his case.
If Sanchez has balls of steel on the pitch, we may agree that Wenger does have equally sized balls out of said pitch.
Go there and tell them to fuck off in person?
Hope he decks all the twats on that panel one by one ?
I’m probably a bit biased but I always get the impression that the FA love being able to have a dig at AW. The old fashioned twats at the FA love getting one over on the French impostor who came over here and told us how to play football.
I’m not sure about this. Arsene has done a lot of things and if you check his disciplinary record, there’s not much of a mark there.
They even apologised to him after the old trafford debacle.
I think you’re thinking of UEFA.
Even when he makes a mistake, pure class!
I would want to be in the hearing sitting and listening and regardless of the FA’s decision, when le Prof is done speaking, start clapping in respect and acknowledgement.
And when the FA sentence him to his charge, find the nearest table to stand up on and say, “Oh le Prof, my le Prof”
*entire personnel in the hearing do the same. It’s broadcasted on TV and beat the crap out of Chelsea
Nice analogy!
Just look at the cunts in the press lining up to crucify a “foreign” manager.
The fucking cunts should realize he has done more for the English game than most England managers combined.
I don’t think it’s because the manager is “foreign”. Look at the way the press love everything Maureen says and does — even when he refuses to apologise for being a Portuguese twat. It’s weird, but it’s personal.
Someone to stand up to the FA! I’m guessing he wants to find out what they’re gonna do about the shitty refereeing ?
I’m hoping Wenger is going to make the F.A. accountable for the standards of officiating we are currently seeing which is leading managers to behave in such ways. Pretty much every home game for the last 2 seasons i see the opposing team push and hack at our players and nothing is given but the second one of our guys goes near the opposition theres a free kick or penalty given, we no longer have any home advantage at all. We see some of our support and other teams supporters waving banners saying this person out and other such things,… Read more »
Wenger is the manager England need but do not deserve
Am i the only one a tad worried about this? I would have thought the maximum they would give him is a two game touchline ban, which would come into effect for Southampton in the cup and Watford at home. By asking for a personal hearing (surely after the Watford game at the earliest) he’ll almost certainly be banned for Chelsea away? In addition don’t the FA love to increase bans if someone asks for a personal hearing or appeals, deeming it frivolous?
So next week will be after Tuesday, which means he will deffo be sidelined for the Chelsea match.
Regardless of whatever he does, i think he will be punished severely by the FA anyway. He doesn’t always see eye to eye with them on topical issues and many a times over the years, he has managed to put one over them in his classy subtle way, and so i think this presents too much of an opportunity for them to “revenge?”. From Arsenal perspective, luckily for us, he is not one of the pitch-side micro managers that like to orchestrate every bit of play as it develops (e.g. Pep, Conte, Kopp), which i like by the way, and… Read more »
Premier league needs Player’s Association (PA) not FA…. why not creat one
Besides Go to hell to Keith’s Hackett and Graham Poll!…who recently poked thier nose in the incident suggested of “six match stadium ban and hefty fine to AW”
Taking into consideration all the wrong decisions that have gone against us this season, the constant whinging of the Burnley coach with no consequence, the context and circumstances of the sending off plus Arsene Wenger’s record, I would consider anything more than a 1 match touchline ban and perhaps severe last chance warning, a travesty. There was a “take your hands off me” situation, which should never happened, but that applies to both Wenger and the 4th official, and from what was shown on TV it looks as if Wenger was being pushed first. While on the subject, shouldnt Arsenal… Read more »
I think it’s difficult to make any plans for a manager being sent to the stands, because the refs are so inconsistent that one of them will be ok with him standing in the tunnel whilst another wants him out of the stadium…
A stadium ban is given by a disciplinary board, not by the referee.
Being sent off means you can’t be on the pitch, but any manager is well within their rights to sit on the stands, like Wenger himself did at old Trafford.
So does ‘can’t be on the pitch’ mean in the technical area, on the bench, in the tunnel…
The 4th officials and refs appear to have different views on what’s OK and what isn’t.
All three. You can still get sent off while in the tunnel. You can argue that some officials don’t enforce that rule, especially so late in the game, but if you are being asked to leave, then you should.
You can, however, go to the stands.
But that’s the problem, the inconsistency.
I’m sure that AW permanently has a place in the directors box if necessary but if he can stand in the tunnel, prefers to stand in the tunnel and the rules (which don’t appear to be clear) leave a possibility where he can stand in the tunnel then what else is the club supposed to do…
AW; I only stated the facts. I said to Taylor that both he and Moss were useless cunts and here’s a 15 hour video of their games this season as proof.
FA Twats; Oh… Well after seeing 5 minutes of that there’s no doubt they are useless cunts but most of our PL refs are, so touchline ban for 4 weeks!
So it seems a manager cant place his hands on an official- fair enough. But is it ok for an official to touch a manager? Seems to me Wenger only raised his hands in response to Taylor. But all very minor indeed.
Anyway i dont think a touchline ban and a fine would make any difference in the scheme of things. I actually think it may be better for manager to have a better vantage point. Particularly Wenger who doesn’t seem too deliver instructions from the sidelines all that often anyway. A bit of a non story really.
the FA – the media say jump, they jump – Wenger will present facts and they will back down. He wouldn’t call a personal hearing otherwise.
My understanding he told the 4th official to F off, something that happens (rightly so due to the incompetence) throughout the average game. Then to be chased by the 4th official – who forgot his job and chose to pursue Wenger.
The officiating needs to be questioned. with examples laid bare.
They’ve probably got a video of Rooney saying it 5’000 times to the ref and receiving no punishment for it 😀
I remember Alan Pardew was suspended for 2 matches for much, much more of shove on the 4th official. Anything more than 2 matches will be a joke.
I think he probably said he’d be a bit more *discreet*
As most negotiations experts will tell you, you’ve got a better chance of succeeding in person than you do in writing or over the phone. People tend to relax any hard-line positions when an actual person is in front of them. Even when the disparity in class and intelligence is so apparent as it will be when the manager meets the FA.