Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger launched into a furious tirade following a controversial VAR penalty decision during Tuesday's Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
The respected French coach was visibly incensed during a live broadcast on beIN Sports, where he criticised the referee's decision to award Inter Milan a penalty after a challenge on Lautaro Martinez.
The match at the San Siro was the decisive second leg after a thrilling 3-3 draw in Spain during the first encounter between the two European giants.
Martinez had already put the hosts ahead with a goal in the first half.
Arsene Wenger was not happy after Inter Milan were handed a penalty against Barcelona
Reuters/PA
The Argentine striker then found himself at the centre of controversy after winning a penalty that doubled Inter's advantage before half-time.
The incident occurred when Martinez found himself one-on-one with Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, with a golden opportunity to double his tally.
Barcelona defender Cubarsi Inges made a last-ditch tackle that initially appeared to deny the Argentine forward.
However, after VAR review, the referee overturned his original decision, ruling that Cubarsi had fouled Martinez before making contact with the ball.
Wenger, however, vehemently disagreed with the decision, arguing that slow-motion replays distorted the reality of the challenge.
The former Arsenal boss insisted it was actually a clean tackle when viewed at normal speed.
He claimed the slow-motion replay made the incident appear more severe than it truly was during the live action.
Speaking on beIN Sports, Wenger did not mince his words: "I'm highly against these kind of penalties. And I'm highly against using slow motion. On normal pace this is a great tackle and he's first on the ball."
The Frenchman's frustration was evident as he continued his critique of the decision that changed the course of the match.
Wenger went on to accuse Martinez of deliberately seeking the penalty rather than attempting to score.
"Look what Lautaro Martinez is doing, he leans into him, he looks for the penalty. He knows he will not score now because he feels him there," the former Arsenal manager explained.
VAR intervened to tell the referee to take another look at the penalty incident at the pitchside monitor
Reuters
His analysis suggested Martinez had manipulated the situation to win the spot kick.
Wenger concluded his argument by emphasising the fundamental principle of tackling in football.
"The referee in this situation shows that he has not made the right decision," he stated firmly.
"He's first on the ball and that for me is what counts, the rest is done by Lautaro Martinez. It doesn't matter if there is contact, it is who plays the ball and who wins the ball first."
