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Arsène Wenger was last night fined £15,000 after being found guilty of improper conduct for calling Ruud van Nistelrooy a "cheat" in the immediate aftermath of Arsenal's 2-0 Premiership defeat by Manchester United in October. It is the heaviest fine the Football Association has ever handed to a manager.
The punishment, which saw Wenger severely reprimanded and warned about his future behaviour, stopped short of a touchline ban. FA regulations permit that sanction only for on-pitch infringements and Wenger's comments - "We all know [Van Nistelrooy]; he can only cheat people" - came in the post-match interviews.
Wenger initially contested the charge but declined to attend yesterday's one-hour hearing; his defence was conducted through correspondence. He will not appeal against the verdict or sentence.
Though there had been reports that Arsenal had prepared a dossier of video evidence to substantiate the claims of Van Nistelrooy's deception, none was lodged. "Now is the time to move on," said Wenger. "We have an important match coming up and all my thoughts are focused on our preparations for the visit to Portsmouth on Sunday."
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