Wenger wants refs to ban divers

"I can say that when my team are not involved I am 100% against it"
Arsene Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called on referees to stamp out diving by suspending guilty players.

Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips is the latest Premiership player to be accused of diving in order to get an opposition player sent off.

And Wenger said: "We have to fight it and there is only one way to punish people diving obviously: suspension.

"Once it is in the game it is difficult to get it out. Once a guy knows he might be punished he will not dive."

Wright-Phillips was accused of diving in Chelsea's 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final win on Wednesday and Newcastle defender Robbie Elliott was sent off.

"My view without going into any individual case is that we are all as managers to fight against it," Wenger said.

"Sometimes the players dive just because they pushed the ball too far and the only way to get something out of the situation is to dive.

"We are all managers who can never say that one of our players has not dived. Nobody can say that in our league.

"I can say that when my team are not involved I am 100% against it."

Arsenal were at the centre of a diving controversy two seasons ago when midfielder Robert Pires won a penalty against Portsmouth to seal a home draw.

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