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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger accuses referee Mike Dean of seeing 'what he wanted to see' in controversial draw with West Brom
Arsene Wenger has escalated his attack on the refereeing standards in English football and accused Mike Dean of seeing “what he wanted to see” amid the “concerning coincidence” of decisions this season against Arsenal.
Wenger’s team were denied victory at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday after Calum Chambers was adjudged to have handled the ball in the final minutes and Arsenal also felt aggrieved by decisions this season in matches against Watford, Stoke City and Manchester City.
“What is more frustrating for me is that it happened many times this season,” said Wenger. “That is a concerning coincidence for me. That’s why I was not happy at all with the movement that the referee made to show why he gave the penalty, because that didn’t correspond at all with what happened. On that front, it’s a bit worrying.”
Asked whether he has received any explanation from Dean, Wenger said: “No, he saw what he wanted to see and we have to deal with that.”
Wenger also claimed that there was now widespread concern among managers about the standard of Premier League refereeing, despite English officials being, with Italy, the only full-time professionals in the world.
“I stood behind that with all my power at the time to afford them to be professional and I support that, so you also expect the quality,” he said. “They are in a division where they can be the best and of course there are only two countries where there are professional referees in Europe. You want them to improve and raise their level.
“To score a goal in football, you need to sometimes make 25 good passes and that demands some quality. For me to just give a goal away because somebody kicks the ball at your hand would be ridiculous. The oldest rule in the game is the best. It has to be a deliberate handball and that’s it, basically.
"If you want to create a goal chance, even if it’s a fast game, you need to play football. Then suddenly, because somebody hits your hand on purpose – they just need to lift the ball to anybody’s arm in the box – it’s a goal. It’s not serious.”