Wenger in big trouble with the FA

ARSENAL'S manager Arsene Wenger is in hot water, after accusing a match official of lying during last Sunday's League Cup final.

As a traumatic few days for the club reached another low with elimination from the FA Cup by Blackburn on Wednesday, Wenger raged about the fallout from the defeat by Chelsea.

He accused the official, whom he believed told the FA that Emmanuel Adebayor had punched Frank Lampard during the brawl at Cardiff, of being a liar.

The fight resulted in red cards for the Arsenal striker as well as Kolo Toure and Chelsea's Jon Obi Mikel.

'Questioning the integrity of a match official and accusing them of lying is a very serious claim to make as it questions the whole integrity of the game,' an FA statement said yesterday.

'We also reject any accusations of bias or dishonesty within our disciplinary system. We will be asking Wenger to explain these comments.

'Contrary to Wenger's allegations, the assistant referee's report does not claim that Adebayor punched Frank Lampard. The report states that Adebayor's attitude was aggressive, that he shoved into Ricardo Carvalho and that he aimed a punch at Lampard. It does not state that Adebayor struck Lampard.'

Wenger also claimed that Lampard, the England midfield player, had a responsibility to 'tell the truth' about the incident.

The Chelsea midfielder obliged, stating through his agent Steve Kutner, that he was not hit during the game, reported The Times.

But that does little to help Adebayor, who still faces the charge of failing to leave the field after his red card.

Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue has also been charged with violent conduct, after appearing to strike Wayne Bridge in video evidence analysed by the FA.

Wenger had been furious over Adebayor's red card because it meant he could not play against Blackburn.

He had also claimed the FA was biased when it did not charge any Chelsea player for the brawl after reviewing the video.

'It's just a coincidence when you have 20 players in a brawl and only the Arsenal players are guilty,' he said on Wednesday.

'It's unbelievable. Maybe that's the FA's way to do justice. It's difficult to accept.

'Adebayor also did not punch anybody. I do not agree with the report of the linesman. For me, he lied.

'I would like to ask Lampard if he has been punched. If he says yes, then I will accept that.

'But we have watched it with a microscope. We do not see anything.'