Bergkamp more likely to be hit with fine than a ban

ARSENAL bad boy Dennis Bergkamp is facing his second hefty loss of the season — and has been nowhere near a betting shop.

The Gunners striker has already been fined £5,000 for an off-the-ball incident during the current campaign and if referee Mike Dean indicates he did not get a clean view of his clash with West Ham new boy Lee Bowyer at Highbury on Sunday, he could find himself hit in the pocket again.

By announcing they have requested a copy of the match video to study the swinging arm with which Bergkamp blocked off Bowyer's attempt to win possession, the FA have signalled an intention to take the matter further if Dean admits he may have been wrong to wave play on at the time.

"Following yesterday's Premier League match at Highbury between Arsenal and West Ham United, we can confirm the FA has requested a copy of the video of an incident between Dennis Bergkamp and Lee Bowyer," said an official statement.

"As is always the case, the FA will await the officials' match reports before considering what, if any, action is to be taken."

Even West Ham manager Glenn Roeder, his fury at Dean's failure to award a free-kick compounded when Bergkamp fired over a far-post cross which Thierry Henry met to put the home side back in front, claimed the Dutchman should not have been sent off.

So, like his previous visit to Soho Square after appearing to stamp on Blackburn's Nils-Eric Johansson, Bergkamp may escape a ban but fork out for a fine.

That would appear the worst-case scenario for the treble-chasing Gunners, who face an FA Cup date with Conference club Farnborough at the weekend.

If manager Arsene Wenger is to be believed, Dean will confirm he saw the incident and his original verdict was correct. "It looked like Dennis was just protecting the ball with his elbow and Lee Bowyer ran into him. There didn't look to be any intent. In any case, if he had the ball why would he want to elbow Lee Bowyer?" said Wenger.

While there will be little widespread sympathy extended to the opponent Bergkamp felled, it is a further extension of the unwanted reputation the former Inter Milan player has gained during his stint in the Premiership.

One of the most gifted players in the game, the 33-year-old has brought criticism on himself with a series of incidents which, taken individually, appear totally out of character. The first red card of his Arsenal career came three years after his arrival when he caught Sunderland's Paul Bracewell with a dreadful two-footed challenge.

Ironically, it was Steve Lomas, dismissed for a foul on Robert Pires in yesterday's clash, who felt the force of Bergkamp's next on-field transgression, an elbow to the face which also brought a three-game suspension.

After a three-year gap, Bergkamp was sent off again after a clash with Liverpool's Jamie Carragher before the first of two incidents involving Johansson a forearm smash to the face went unpunished. As the litany of incidents grows, Bergkamp is in danger of being remembered more for petty infringements than his outstanding ability.

And his poor disciplinary record could have greater consequences if Dean gives responsibility for yesterday's tussle back to the governing body.

The FA's disciplinary panel have the power to take past offences into account when determining any punishment. Meanwhile, Bergkamp's Gunners team-mate Robert Pires has rejected claims he made the most of his penalty area clash with Lomas. There seemed minimal contact between the pair as the French winger went crashing to the ground, but Pires insists he was pulled back.

"I did not dive and I am not a cheat," he told the London Evening Standard.

"I was going through to shoot and was fouled by his arm. It was a red card because he was the last defender. Maybe next time he will keep his arm in his pocket."