‘Is it selfish motivation?’ questions Wenger
ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger has questioned the motivation behind his fellow Premier League bosses who want their players pulled out of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Friday’s gun attack on the Togo team bus has prompted managers’ calls for players to be able to leave Angola and return home.
Wenger has Cameroon’s Alex Song and Ivory Coast star Emmanuel Eboue involved in the competition, but the Gunners boss insists he will not be following the calls to bring the players home.
“It wouldn’t be fair, let’s say that,” the Frenchman said. “What is behind things like that? Is it a selfish motivation or is it a real issue over security?
“We, here, are not in the best position to judge the security of this competition.”
He continued: “If you organise the European Championships and you have an incident like that – it can happen, and has happened already – you do not want all your players suddenly to move home. International competition is international competition.
“When you hear sometimes there’s unrest in the suburbs of London, you still live well in London. When I speak to my friends in France, they ask me: ‘Is a revolution happening in London?’ It’s the same in Paris.You immediately think it’s a revolution everywhere. It’s not always the case.”
“You have to judge the place, whether the competition can go on or not. I don’t like this culture of fear, either. I hate that.”