Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has turned up the heat ahead of this weekend’s North London Derby by saying he "hates" it when teams try to intimidate the referee.
Spurs host Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon in what promises to be a feisty encounter between the two rivals. The Gunners have been charged by the Football Association for failing to control their players in each of their past two matches.
Arsenal have been fined £40,000 by the FA for failing to control their players in the closing stages of the 0-0 top-flight draw with Newcastle on January 3 and are awaiting punishment for protesting decisions during the 3-0 win over Oxford United in the FA Cup on Monday.
Mikel Arteta has been branded “disrespectful” by Alan Shearer and “a clown” by Chris Sutton for his behaviour on the touchline against Newcastle. Arteta was furious with referee Andy Madley for not awarding his team a penalty and became embroiled in a row with Eddie Howe.
Ahead of Sunday’s derby, Conte was asked if he had concerns over Arsenal attempting to intimidate officials. "No, but I think that also in an important game like this, the respect is always at the top, Okay?” he replied.
"You have to show respect in every situation and especially also with the referee because I know very well the difficulty to be a referee, to take decisions.
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"I think to intimidate [the referee] or to create a bad atmosphere is not fair. I don't like this. I hate the people that try to do it. Don't forget that we are talking, always, about a game of football."
Conte went on to reference his own run-in with the officials during a match against Sporting Lisbon in October. The Italian was sent off - and later banned for one game - for contesting a VAR decision to overrule what would have been a stoppage-time winner.
“Sometimes it happens in the emotion, I remember very well against Sporting Lisbon, we scored in the 95th minute and then we stayed five minutes to wait for the VAR decision,” he added.
“I was really upset but I never, never lacked the respect of the referee. Then, he sent me away because I went into the pitch but I think in every moment you have to show respect. Don’t forget this is football, an incredible sport and we have to respect each other.”
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta refused to comment on the FA charges against his side. Asked if he would speak to his players about their behaviour, he said: “Anything that we can do to improve, we will always have conversations with our players and staff to see what we can do better [and if] we have to change any behaviour.”
Arsenal come into the match five points clear at the top of the Premier League, having lost just one of their 17 games this season. Tottenham have played a game more and are 11 points behind in fifth following their 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.
