Benitez furious with Robben’s part in red card
Reina was shown a red card by the referee Alan Wiley after flicking his hand into Robben’s face with eight minutes remaining. There appeared to be minimal contact, but the Dutch winger fell to the ground clutching his head as a scuffle broke out between the two sets of players.
The real drama, however, came after the game when Benitez claimed that Robben had deliberately feigned injury in order to see his team reduced to ten men.
“I must go to hospital because obviously Robben’s injury is so serious he will be there for a week,” Benitez said.
“Reina made a mistake in turning and touching his face, but it looked like he had broken his neck the way he reacted. It’s crazy. What kind of professional can you be when you make another professional miss three games for that incident?”
Robben bore the brunt of Benitez’s fury, but the Spaniard also criticised Wiley’s handling of the situation.
“I have an idea of what should be done but it is up to the FA to do something about it,” he added. “The referee must have more experience for this sort of game. It was a nothing incident and we will appeal it if we can.”
Mourinho predictably took a different view of the incident.
“I’m not interested in Rafa Benitez’s comments,” he said. “Sometimes managers say things they don’t mean, especially after they lose.
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