JERMAINE JENAS has issued a grovelling public apology after blasting referee Rob Jones and his VAR team during Arsenal’s draw with Tottenham.
The former Spurs player accused officials of ruining the game after Cristian Romero was judged to have made a deliberate handball as he blocked Ben White’s shot.
Many fans pointed out Jenas’ hypocrisy after he fronted the ‘Love Football, Protect the Game’ campaign, during which he called for better protection for refs.
He said in the video: “No more surrounding refs, no more abuse, no more intimidation, no more discrimination.”
Charity RefereeSupportUK criticised Jenas’ outburst, warning his words encourages abuse of referees.
They wrote: “This is a disgraceful tweet and you should be ashamed.
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“Your tweet encourages online abuse of referees and considering your role on TV your employers need to give their head a wobble.
“Remember Anthony Taylor and his family were attacked at an airport because of antics such as yours.”
Jenas took to Twitter to respond to the criticism and apologised for his statement, though he has not deleted the offending tweet.
He said: “I hold my hands up, I got it wrong yesterday.
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“I should know, more than most, the responsibility we have as fans, players and pundits and the impact our words online can have as it’s an area I’ve been vocal in.
“My emotions got the better of me and I apologise to The FA and to all match officials.”
Jenas had taken aim at referee Jones, writing: “Complete s***house off a referee! They’re all ruining our game!”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
