Alan Shearer reckons Arsene Wenger should apologise for his disgraceful slur against
Raheem Sterling…and so he should.
The problem is that if the visually-challenged Arsenal boss starts apologising for all the undue slights he has heaped on
Manchester City and their players, it might just use up his entire international break.
And you have to wonder about his football morality when, on transfer deadline day, he was desperate to sign a man he yesterday called a cheat and a diver after
seeing his team beaten 3-1.
Wenger's nonsense was brutally exposed on Match of the Day, when even Ian Wright – an Arsenal legend with a natural bias to his old club – said that Nacho Monreal's challenge WAS a penalty, combining a shove and a more telling leg contact.
Credit to the BBC for also pointing out that in the first half Sterling had been shoved in the back by Sead Kolasinac as he tried to reach
Leroy Sane's cross-shot.
A couple of City players appealed, but Sterling's reaction was almost resigned.
He rarely gets penalties these days – and that is partly down to an unwarranted view that he does dive. That view is fuelled by the kind of garbage that Wenger came out with.
The Gunners boss was fuming about the referee afterwards, as if Michael Oliver was responsible for his team's legendary flakiness.
He moaned that this happens every time Arsenal go to Manchester.
But he failed to mention that last season, when the Gunners snatched a point at the Etihad Stadium, Monreal handled inside the area, and later admitted he had done so.
Wenger's response to that offence, which was much closer to him, and far clearer than Sterling's penalty yesterday, was typical: “Honestly I don't know. I haven't seen a handball. Their bench complained. Was it handball or not? I don't know.”
His eyesight was similarly selective in the FA Cup semi-final, when Sterling was denied a legitimate goal because the assistant ref wrongly judged that Leroy Sane's cross had gone out of play.
But such stuff is par for the course for Wenger – accusing a player of cheating is a new low for him.
Especially when Sterling received praise last season for staying on his feet and trying to score when blatantly shoved in the back by Kyle Walker – then at Spurs – as the Blues drew 2-2.
Sterling has repeatedly been denied clear penalties, and it tends to happen in big games – remember him being booked for diving against Barcelona when he was patently tripped by Samuel Umtiti?
In any other walk of life, Wenger would be facing a court case – to accuse someone of being a cheat in their chosen profession is defamatory.
It won't go to court because football doesn't do that – they rely on the governing bodies to keep such stuff in house and prevent it getting messy. So it's over to you, FA.
Very well said Stuart Brennan.