London - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called on UEFA to clarify their rules regarding touchline bans after finding himself at the centre of a controversy.
Wenger was forced to watch Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League play-offs against Udinese from the stands.
His absence from the dugout was due to an outburst he made at the match officials following a clash with Barcelona last season.
UEFA punished him for his actions, but failed to make the implications of the ban they imposed clear.
Wenger now insists that he never meant to break the rules by sending a number of messages down to his assistant Pat Rice, and has been left confused by the whole incident.
"We tried to respect the rules as they are set by UEFA, but, of course, it is very difficult to see how you can stop someone having an influence. It was difficult because you didn’t really know what the rules were," Sky Sports quoted Wenger, as saying.
"They (UEFA) told us first we could communicate through my assistant and at half-time it was not like that. It was a bit confusing. It is a real concern because up to what level can you stop someone doing their job?"
"I did not feel I had done a lot. We tried to respect the rules as they are set by UEFA but, of course, it is very difficult to see how you can stop someone having an influence. What is true is that you can’t go to the dressing rooms, but I did not do that," he added.
Today : Sunday - May 27, 2012, 12:26pm (GMT+5.5)
