Arsene Wenger has been asked to explain his claim that a linesman was lying about Emmanuel Adebayor’s dismissal in the Carling Cup final.
Arsenal striker Adebayor was sent off after becoming involved in a brawl towards the end of his side’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday.
He has been given a three-match ban for violent conduct, and has been charged separately for failing to leave the pitch after his dismissal.
But speaking after Arsenal’s defeat at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night, Wenger claimed linesman had lied in his report.
“I don’t agree at all with the match report, with what the linesman said,” Wenger told Sky Sports News. “It’s a complete lie what is said in the match report and we cannot accept that.
“The linesman said that Adebayor punched Lampard. I would like to ask Lampard if he was punched by Adebayor.
“I feel the whole decision from the FA is wrong. There’s a lot of things in there that are not true.”
But The Football Association has now confirmed that the Arsenal boss will be asked to explain those comments.
A spokesman said: “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.
“We also reject any accusations of bias or dishonesty within our disciplinary system. We will be asking Arsene Wenger to explain these comments.”
An FA statement added: “The FA can clarify that 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.”
