绿茵场外
Manager Sent Off 教练被罚红牌
Tempers can run high 人会发脾气的 in big games and it’s not unusual to see a few reckless tackles 鲁莽的抢球 and red and yellow cards.
So when Arsenal met Manchester United at the weekend it was no surprise that the referee brandished 挥舞/亮出 a red card at one point.
What raised eyebrows was 令人诧异的是 that it was not a player who received the card but Arsenal’s manager, Arsene Wenger.
The Frenchman 法国男人 was given his marching orders 被下逐客令 in the final minutes of a tense 紧张激烈的 match after he kicked a water bottle lying beside the pitch.
Arsenal were losing 2-1 with only minutes remaining when they scored what they thought was an equaliser 拉平的进球, only for it to be disallowed 被判无效 as one of their players was offside 越位.
The exasperated 无可奈何的 Wenger took his frustration out 发泄不满 on the nearest inanimate object 无生命的东西 – in this case a plastic bottle of water.
Unfortunately for him, this action was deemed to be 被认为是 in breach of the rules 违规 and he was sent from the dugout 教练席 to the stands 看台.
"I just kicked a bottle of water. I did it because I was disappointed, not because I thought it wasn't offside," said Wenger.
I didn't know you were not allowed to kick a water bottle, although it was a good kick.
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager
"I didn't know you were not allowed to kick a water bottle, although it was a good kick."
When Wenger says it was a good kick, he might have humorously 幽默地 meant that he kicked it hard and with feeling.
Arsenal went on to lose the game 2-1, which was their first defeat of the season.
Wenger has since learned 获悉 he will receive an official apology 正式的道歉 for his sending off.
League Managers Association chief Richard Bevan said, "although correct in law, the decision was completely out of context 脱离上下文的(具体场合的)in the game”.
... although correct in law, the decision was completely out of context in the game...
Richard Bevan, League Managers Association
When Bevan says the decision was out of context, he means it was unsuitable in this particular situation. So in an important match with only minutes to go, the referee should have been more understanding of Wenger’s frustration.
The result puts Manchester United third in the Premier League table behind Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal currently lie in sixth.