Friday 15 April 2016 18:22, UK
Arsene Wenger admits he is "surprised and disappointed" by the decision to switch referee Kevin Friend off Monday Night Football's crucial clash between Stoke and Tottenham.
Friend, who is a Bristol City fan but lives in Leicestershire and has attended Leicester matches with friends, has been replaced by Neil Swarbrick for the match at the Britannia Stadium after his initial appointment attracted criticism from fans on message boards and social media.
Leicester currently lead Spurs by seven points at the top of the Premier League table and a statement from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited on Thursday confirmed the decision to act.
"Given the timing and context of this match, it was felt unnecessary to add extra scrutiny on the refereeing appointment," the statement read.
However, Wenger does not believe it was right to take Friend out of the firing line.
"I am surprised and disappointed," he said. "It questions the integrity of the referee and sets a dangerous precedent. The solution is you don't look where they come from and who they support, you just pick the best referees.
"I am not a specialist of judging referees - we have to accept they make more mistakes and give them more support with more technology and treat them as professionals who make decisions which are not based on their emotions."
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino agrees with his Arsenal counterpart and said in his pre-match press conference he was surprised by the change.
"We never complain and I want to say we trust in all the referees but I think we need to trust," he said.
"In some point I agree with Arsene. It is important to keep the integrity of the referee and always back the referee.
"They are human and can make mistakes like us but it is important next time to behave naturally and to show the referee the trust and respect.
"Then whatever happens in the game, on the pitch we are human and can make mistake and not because something is going on behind."
Here's what other Premier League managers have had to say on the decision.
Guus Hiddink:
"Referees have to live somewhere in the country, whether it's in London or near Leicester, or Manchester or Swindon.
"It's difficult for me to judge, but when a referee is a bit of a supporter of a club people take a little bit to prevent speculation. But when a referee lives somewhere there is no problem for me."
Tony Pulis:
"I can understand the feeling. It's coming to that time of the season and you don't want any cloudiness around it. But I've spoken to Kevin a few times, and he seems a decent, honest chap. The FA, refs association have decided to do it, so you go with them. It will be interesting to see what Kevin thinks.
"Social media is part and parcel of the life we live now. The refs association have done that and they think they've done it for the right reason."
Eddie Howe:
"My initial thought to it would be; why can't a referee go to a football match without being impartial? It's dangerous ground to go into, and a few fans tweeting and getting a referee moved doesn't sit well with me - that's my initial thought.
"I'm sure a lot of people are football fans, going to games and enjoying them; it doesn't mean they're not impartial. I respect any referee because of how difficult their job is, and I think one of the beauties of our game is that it's clean."
Mark Hughes:
"It seemed to be led by social media, which is maybe dangerous ground if people on Twitter are going to tell the Premier League who to appoint for individual games, so you have to be careful about that.
"The one thing we all have to be comfortable about is the integrity of the referees, irrespective of who they support."
Roberto Martinez:
"When I arrived in England I was surprised that referees were asked who they support. Straight away it's a cultural thing not to allow them to ref the teams they support. That doesn't happen in other countries.
"There isn't that open feel about how you support as a referee in other countries. I just don't think there is a question about the integrity of our referees in this country. I could give many examples about their integrity.
"It's cleaner than any other country, probably. In Spain in depends on the region. Each region has its own refereeing schools. But nobody wants to know if you support a team out of your reason as not. They're just judged as impartial."
Manuel Pellegrini:
"I suppose the FA have some reasons to do it. Normally in Spain you don't know."
