Wenger, Ferguson Food-Fight Fallout



CSTB has been so wrapped up in the World Series and the ongoing saga of Ashlee Simpson's acid-reflux, that we failed to cover the aftermath of Manchester United's 2-0 beating of Arsenal, a win which snapped the latter's incredible 49 game unbeaten streak. Needless to say, things got messy as the two sides collided on their way out of the stadium, writes The Sun's Guy Patrick.

FURIOUS Arsenal stars pelted Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson with PIZZA in an astonishing bust-up after Sunday’s crunch match.

They also hurled soup and sandwiches at Fergie, 62, as tempers exploded in the players’ tunnel.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, 55, yelled abuse at Fergie, branded United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy a cheat and ripped into Wayne Rooney.

All hell broke loose minutes after United beat Arsenal 2-0, ending a record run of 49 Premiership games without defeat.

Van Nistelrooy, who scored a disputed penalty, lit the fuse by tapping Wenger on the arm and making a quip about the result.

A United insider said: “Wenger then turned on Fergie and started screaming and finger-prodding him.

“That’s when food was hurled from the Arsenal dressing room. Fergie’s shirt and blazer were covered in soup and pizza.”

But last night the question on every footie fan’s lips was: Who flung all the pies?

A United insider said all hell broke loose behind the scenes after van Nistelrooy riled Wenger, who then spotted Sir Alex.

The insider said: “Wenger literally turned on Fergie. He started screaming and shouting and finger-prodding the United manager.

“Then he systematically had a go at Ferguson’s players, starting with van Nistelrooy. He called him a lazy cheat, then questioned Ferguson’s decency at accepting a fraud penalty.

“Then he gave Wayne Rooney a character assassination, yelling all the time. Ferguson looked shocked as no one had ever seen Wenger lose it like this.

“Wenger, instead of calming down, became even more abusive. There was suddenly a crowd of players who had been in the dressing room eating their post-match food.

“And that’s when the food from the Arsenal dressing room started being hurled at Ferguson. His shirt and blazer were getting covered in soup and bits of pizza — and all the time Wenger was still ranting at him.”

The Guardian's Matt Scott and Ian Whitell report that efforts were made yesterday to restore civility between the two rivals.

David Dein, Arsenal's vice-chairman, yesterday visited Old Trafford for a meeting with Manchester United's chief executive David Gill in an effort to arrest the deteriorating relations between the two giants of English football.

Only hours after Arsenal confirmed that their manager Arsène Wenger had signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2008, Dein called in at Old Trafford on his way to last night's Carling Cup meeting with Manchester City.

It is understood that the meeting between arguably the two most powerful figures in the domestic game came at the suggestion of Arsenal, who have been stung by the hostile public reaction after their 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Arsenal are worried about being painted as the instigators of hostilities in the tunnel area outside the dressing rooms, which culminated in soup, sandwiches and pizza being thrown over United's manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

After the game the United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy was suspended for three games for an over-the-top challenge on Ashley Cole and the Football Association asked Wenger to explain his criticism of the referee Mike Riley.

The outcome of yesterday's peace talks was not immediately apparent although dialogue between the combatants will have been welcomed by the FA, which has been left deeply embarrassed by the fallout from Old Trafford. Dein confirmed last night he had met Gill, saying: "We get on famously - there is no problem there at all. They just want to beat us as much as we beat them."

Posted: Wed - October 27, 2004 at 09:52 PM      

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