Jermaine Jenas forced into awkward apology after berating referee in online rant

Arsenal fans give verdict on Champions League hopes

Jermaine Jenas has been forced to make a grovelling apology after being accused of hypocrisy over his scathing criticism of referee Rob Jones during Sunday’s North London Derby. Jenas was the face of a pre-season campaign called ‘Love Football, Protect the Game’ in which he urged stakeholders not to abuse match officials.

But the former midfielder has admitted that his emotions got the better of him after a scathing attack on referee Jones during Arsenal’s clash with Tottenham. The ex-England international was left unhappy over Jones’s decision to award a penalty to the Gunners due to Cristian Romero’s handball.

“Complete s***house of a referee! They’re all ruining our game!” Jenas raged on his X account.

He added: “It’ll happen to Arsenal at some point this year! If it takes that long after watching it over and over… then it’s not a pen.”

Jenas has since backtracked following criticism from the Referees’ Association and referee charities. The former Spurs man admitted he ‘got it wrong’.

READ MORE: Arsenal ‘make firm transfer decision’ on Ivan Toney following Tottenham draw[LATEST]

He has since said: “My emotions got the better of me and I apologise to The FA and to all match officials.

“I hold my hands up, I got it wrong yesterday. I should know, more than most, the responsibility we have as fans, players and pundits and the impact our words online can have as it’s an area I’ve been vocal in.”

Much of the criticism of Jenas centred around his participation in a campaign dubbed ‘Love Football, Protect the Game’. After his rant on Sunday night, footage emerged of him calling for an end to abuse of referees.

Just last month, a clip from the campaign showed Jenas saying: We’ve all got to do better at all levels of the game. No more surrounding refs, no more abuse.”

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

DON’T MISS…
Arsenal ‘make firm transfer decision’ on Ivan Toney following Tottenham draw[GOSSIP]
Piers Morgan tells Arsenal to make signing in January to stay in title race[QUOTES]
Tottenham ‘going to have a nice year’ as Van de Ven gets excited after Arsenal[REACTION]

The project was in partnership with the Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League. All three are said to have been disappointed with Jenas’s criticism of Jones, who was taking charge of his first North London Derby.

Referees’ Association chief Paul Field said: “It’s this type of thing that makes a referees job much harder at grassroots. Mr Jenas has a responsibility to the game and we look forward to seeing an apology in the near future.”

Charity Ref Support UK added: “This is a disgraceful tweet and you should be ashamed. Your tweet encourages online abuse of referees and considering your role on TV your employers need to give their head a wobble. Remember Anthony Taylor and his family were attacked at an airport because of antics such as yours.”

Source: Read Full Article