25 September 2023 , 08:28
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Jermaine Jenas has been told he should be ashamed of himself after aiming "disgraceful" online abuse at referee Robert Jones during the north London derby.
A frenzied clash finished 2-2 at the Emirates, with Spurs twice coming from behind via goals from Son Heung-Min. His first leveller came following a Cristian Romero own goal, and the South Korean struck a second time following a controversial penalty, with the Argentinian defender again central to the incident.
The ball struck Romero's hand as he lunged to block a shot, with Arsenal protests initially waved away by Jones. But after a lengthy VAR review, the official pointed to the spot, and Bukayo Saka converted to further enrage visiting fans.
And former Tottenham star Jenas clearly wasn't impressed, and took to Twitter, now known as X, to vent his fury. The One Show co-host wrote: “Complete s***house off a referee! They’re all ruining our game!”
The outburst was laced with irony however, given at the start of the season the 40-year-old took part in a video campaign urging players and supporters to treat with referees with more respect. During the footage, he said: "We've all got to do better, at all levels. No more surrounding refs. No more abuse."
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But amid the ample accusations of hypocrisy from football fans, there was a pointed reply from RefSupportUK. The charity is dedicated to supporting the training, support and development of referees across the UK.
"This is a disgraceful tweet and you should be ashamed," the organisation wrote. "Your tweet encourages on line 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."
Arsenal players appeal for a handball against Cristian Romero with a penalty eventually being given (Getty)HAVE YOUR SAY! Was it a penalty? Comment below.
Taylor was subjected to a vicious verbal attack from Roma coach Jose Mourinho after the Serie A side lost the Europa League final to Sevilla last season. And he was then hounded and physically assaulted by fans as he tried to board his flight home.
Jenas however, seemed undeterred by the replies. And the former England player even doubled down on his views when asked if he would have been calling for a spot kick had an Arsenal player done the same as Romero in his own area.
"I wouldn’t at all and it’ll happen to Arsenal at some point this year!" he wrote. "If it takes that long after watching it over and over, then it’s not a pen."