Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger to Serve 3-Match Ban After Misconduct Charge
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will serve a three-match touchline ban after accepting a charge of misconduct from the Football Association following the Gunners' 1-1 draw with West Brom.
Arsenal were denied a victory at the Hawthorns when Calum Chambers was adjudged by referee Mike Dean to have handled the ball in the box, enabling Jay Rodriguez to equalize from the penalty spot.
Sky Sports report Wenger has also been handed a £40,000 fine after it was deemed the language he used was "abusive, improper and questioned the integrity of the match referee."
He will now miss Sunday's FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest, Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg with Chelsea and the trip to Bournemouth the following Sunday.
"I think the referee has not even seen it, he's not seen it," said Wenger, as quoted by the Independent.
"That's my opinion, but he will tell you he has seen it. But we have to live with the decision and deal with it and swallow it and go for the next game.
"I'm angry because we see and see the same things again. We fought very hard years ago for the referees to become professional and yet we see no improvement and you can not say a word against it because they are untouchable."
Wenger also questioned the awarding of a penalty in Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Wednesday, after Hector Bellerin collided with Eden Hazard.
He said: "We got again a farcical decision and mentally we were shocked. Then we could have lost the game but we had the resources to come back, and in the end maybe it's a fair result.
"When you come here you see football, and unfortunately the games are always spoiled by factors you can't master. We can only continue to play the way we want to play, and hope at one stage things will go for us."
