Wenger under fire over missing handshake

Arsene Wenger came under fire on Thursday as a sore, ungracious loser after the Arsenal manager failed to shake hands with Mark Hughes at the end of Arsenal’s League Cup quarter-final defeat by Manchester City.

Wenger’s breach of one of English football’s diplomatic protocols came at the end of Arsenal’s 3-0 loss on Wednesday evening, the Frenchman heading straight down the tunnel without offering a hand to the City boss.

That prompted Hughes to observe: “Maybe he’s used to winning games and when he does lose sometimes he doesn’t know how to behave.”

Wenger was unrepentant immediately after the match but he may have been regretting his action the morning after as his conduct sparked a national debate over the importance of good manners in sport.

Callers to radio phone-ins were overwhelming critical of the Arsenal boss with many highlighting the poor example his perceived petulance gave to children.

Bolton boss Gary Megson said Wenger should have realised how his action would be seen.

“What we have to do as managers is realise that although it might not be a great big thing that someone doesn’t shake hands with another, the impact is huge, so everybody should do it,” Megson said.

“There are times where you might feel hurt about whatever has gone on or been said, but I do feel that at the end of it, you just shake hands and then go down the tunnel.

“You might not mean it but I think it’s a lot easier to deal with afterwards, even if you don’t get on too well with the person you have just shaken hands with.”

Wenger’s irritation with Hughes appeared to be triggered by the City manager encroaching on his side of the technical area during the match.

“Maybe he was a little bit aggrieved by that,” Hughes said. “But I would suggest he was probably more aggrieved his team got beaten.

“I’ve been to the Emirates (Arsenal’s ground) and been beaten 6-2 but I still offered my hand and that’s the least you can do. I was a little bit disappointed because I’ve got huge respect for him and maybe he needs to be a little more gracious.”

Wenger dismissed a suggestion he could have been more courteous. “It has nothing to do with the game and I’m free to shake hands with who I want after the game,” he said.

“If it is professional courtesy so I have no professional courtesy.”