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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger fumes at Tottenham referee swap due to bias fears
ARSENE WENGER has slammed the decision to take referee Kevin Friend off Tottenham’s crunch match with Stoke on Monday because he is a fan of title rivals Leicester.
Kevin Friend is no longer down to referee Tottenham's clash with Stoke
Friend has been removed from the list for the game with second-placed Spurs by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) because he lives in Leicester and has attended games at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester face West Ham on Sunday and require just three wins to clinch an unlikely Premier league title. Tottenham start the weekend seven points behind them.
But Wenger, whose third placed team face Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Sunday, attacked the decision, saying: “I'm completely against that.
“The referees are professional people. You're supposed to be impartial whatever happens.
“I was always against this rule. I believe that, on some level, someone doesn't believe completely that the referee is not impartial. It surprises me that that happens.
“Social media shouldn't dictate the rules or what happens to a referee. People at the top level have the responsibility to make these decisions. I'm surprised and disappointed by that decision.”