Arsène Wenger accused the referee Mike Dean of not being honest and branded him a “disgrace” in a heated exchange following December’s 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns.
The Football Association has published its reasons for Wenger’s three-game touchline suspension and it shines a spotlight on the manager’s unhappiness following the New Year’s Eve clash. Wenger was furious after Dean awarded West Brom a late penalty when Calum Chambers was adjudged to have handled Kieran Gibbs’s cross late on and Jay Rodriguez dispatched the equaliser.
According to the report, Wenger entered the referee’s office after the draw where Dean reported that he was “very aggressive”.
In Dean’s report, the official stated: “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’ 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 supposed to be professional, you’re a disgrace’. He was then ushered out of the room by the West Brom safety officer.”
An independent disciplinary panel handed Wenger the three-match ban on 5 January and a £40,000 fine for the incident with the manager accepting his “language and behaviour was abusive, improper and questioned the integrity” of the referee.