Ex-referees call for lengthy ban for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

Former referees Keith Hackett and Graham Poll are calling for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to get a lengthy ban for pushing the fourth official after he was sent to the stands during Sunday's dramatic 2-1 win over Burnley.

Wenger appeared to push Anthony Taylor twice after the fourth official told the Frenchman to leave the tunnel, where he had stopped to watch Burnley's Andre Gray take an injury-time penalty.

Wenger had been sent off for protesting that decision by referee Jon Moss, even though Francis Coquelin had clearly fouled Ashley Barnes in the box.

He apologised after the game but will likely face a sanction from the FA for his actions. Hackett, a former referee who later had a spell as head of Professional Games Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), said the governing body should make an example of the Arsenal boss.

"For the sake of every official at every level of the game the FA must throw the book at Arsene Wenger after his disgraceful behaviour on Sunday," Hackett wrote in a column for the Daily Telegraph on behalf of You Are The Ref.

"They need to send out a strong, clear message -- officials are sacrosanct and if you lay hands on them you will pay a heavy price. A one- or two-match touchline ban just won't cut it on this occasion. A slap on the wrist would tell every Sunday morning player that it's OK to abuse or physically assault officials."

He added: "What I would like to see as an absolute minimum is a six-game ban -- but a far more severe punishment than simply being banished from the touchline.

"Instead, I would like to see Wenger barred from any contact with his team once inside the stadium. UEFA regularly impose this sanction and I feel it has far more impact than a manager simply being unable to stand in the technical area."

Former Premier League referee Poll also said Wenger "must surely face a lengthy touchline ban after he inexplicably went berserk."

He wrote in his column for the Daily Mail: "Wenger and his team have benefitted from plenty of 'close calls' by officials this season and he should have remembered that and stayed calm."

Poll and Hackett also argued that Wenger was wrong to dispute the officials' decisions, saying Granit Xhaka deserved his straight red card and that the Coquelin challenge warranted a penalty.

Former referee Howard Webb, writing in The Times, agreed that Moss got those decisions right.

"Xhaka's tackle was not the worst you will ever see, but having slowed it down frame by frame, I feel it did deserve a red card," Webb wrote. "When you lunge at an opponent like that with both feet and studs showing you are asking for trouble.

"He gets nowhere near the ball and although he hits the floor first, his foot does bounce up on to Steven Defour above the ankle."

He added: "Francis Coquelin made an error when he fouled Ashley Barnes and the referee correctly gave a penalty to Burnley."

Webb said Wenger "will need to be dealt with for his conduct" but suggested he would recommend a more lenient approach than Hackett and Poll.

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"He's not got a bad record for being sent to the stands, unlike some we can think of, who are sent off three or four times a season," he said.

"Wenger is a bit of a mardy loser when things aren't going his way, but he is certainly not the worst by any means. He gets agitated when things are going badly, but in my time he never came into the referees' room afterwards to complain."

All three said Arsenal's last-gasp penalty for the 98th-minute winner should not have been given because Laurent Koscielny was offside in the buildup.

The FA will study Moss' report from the game before making a decision on sanctions.