Wenger Passes The Buck

It was ironic to hear a Frenchman complaining about referee Martin Hansson considering everything the controversial official has done for French football. And while Arsene Wenger had every justification to be critical of the Norwegian’s part in Porto’s quickly taken free-kick after a backpass, the manager focused his anger on the wrong aspects of the incident that led to the winning goal.

Before the Champions League first-leg tie Wenger insisted Lukasz Fabianski is a top keeper ready for the big stage. Afterwards he insisted Sol Campbell didn’t pass it back to the young Pole, which led to the decisive strike. On both occasions he got it wrong. Fabianski may develop into a goalkeeper worthy of the shirt in time, but his howler for the first goal and his naivety to not only pick the ball up from Campbell and hand it willingly to the referee cost them dearly.

And of course the referee was right not to take pity on Arsenal’s mix up and quite rightly awarded the free-kick, but it was his conduct that followed that caused so much resentment.

It wasn’t just quick thinking from the Porto players to walk the ball into the net. Normally that type of opportunism can be applauded. But Hansson’s urgency to grab the ball from Fabianski, put it on a plate for the home side to score and block Sol Campbell, the only player who could defend it, showed a worrying degree of favouritism, whether intentional or not.

If the referee doesn’t conduct himself properly then it’s harder for players and managers to do the same. Wenger was very scathing in his criticism of the Norwegian publicly, but behind the scenes he must be equally annoyed with his own players for their part in the farce. It will be interesting to see how costly it is when the two sides resume their rivalry for the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Tags: Arsene Wenger, Champions League, Lukasz Fabianski, Arsenal, Sol Campbell, Emirates Stadium

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Wenger Passes The Buck

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