Arsenal boss blasts Real Madrid over red cards incident
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has blasted Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid over the Spanish club's actions in their UEFA Champions League group stage match against Ajax on Tuesday 23 November.
Madrid stars Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos were both sent off in the last five minutes of their side's 4-0 win when each received their second yellow cards for time-wasting.
Although both players will be suspended for the last group stage game against French side Auxerre, they will have their disciplinary record wiped clean for the first knockout stage of the competition.
Several observers have criticised the undefeated La Liga leaders for their actions, and went as far as claiming that manager Mourinho had told the players to ensure they were sent off. UEFA has confirmed that it is to investigate the incident.
Arsenal still have work to do if they are to progress to the next round, where they could face Madrid, but Wenger slammed Los Blancos for their actions in the Ajax game.
He told reporters: "You do not want to see that, it's a pity to see that from a big club, and when you see that, overall it gives a very bad image of our game you don't want. I respect Real Madrid for their quality, for what they are doing, but if it's Real
Madrid or somebody else, you don't want to see that on a football pitch.
"If it's Arsenal or Real Madrid or anybody else, you don't want to accept that. You never say that it doesn't cross your mind, and you have to be completely honest about it, but when you see how it looks on television, I must say, in fact what happened there
is the best demonstration to think 'never do that again' for yourself as well. Never envisage to do that, because it looks frankly horrible.”
If Arsenal are to qualify from their group, they will have to better Braga's result against Group H winners Shakhtar Donetsk when they play Serbian outfit Partizan Belgrade in the last group stage match on 8 December.
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