Champions League: Henry to escape UEFA punishment

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry looks set to escape punishment after his rage spilled over following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Panathinaikos in the Champions League last night.

Henry hurled verbal abuse at rival players, the referee and even a Greek policeman before manager Arsene Wenger managed to calm him down. The Frenchman was angry about the antics of the Panathinaikos players, who were constantly diving to get free kicks.

The Spanish referee did not mention the tirade in his post-match report, which has already been submitted to UEFA.

Although an official UEFA delegate at the match has still to submit his report, a spokesman said it is unlikely that action will be taken against Henry. The player himself admitted afterwards that he was livid over the actions of the Panathinaikos players, particularly wing-back Jan Michaelsen.

"[He] went down after a tackle by Giovanni van Bronckhorst and when he got a free-kick for it, he stood up and laughed at him," Henry said. "But that was their attitude and it was disgraceful. That’s why I went mad."