Arjen Robben accused of abusing ref in U14 game as statement issued | Football | Sport

FC Groningen have defended former Chelsea star Arjen Robben following accusations of referee abuse during an under-14 fixture. The Dutchman is currently overseeing the youth setup at Groningen. However, Robben has faced a series of allegations in recent weeks.

Dutch TV presenter Wilfred Genee, who attended a recent match to watch his son play for the opposing side, claimed that Robben was particularly aggressive towards the match official. He said: “At half-time, with the score at 1-0 to my son’s side, he was furious about a goal kick or a corner. But for the entire first half he had been swearing at the referee.”

Genee also accused Robben of directing personal insults at him, reportedly calling him a ‘pancake’. However, Groningen have since issued a statement firmly disputing that the former winger behaved abusively towards the referee.

Posting on social media, the Dutch club wrote: “FC Groningen feels the need to respond to the accusations directed at our colleague Arjen Robben by Wilfred Genee.

“The club denies that Arjen mistreated the referee during or around the match, which has now also been confirmed by the referee himself. What we see and know is that Arjen is fanatical and enthusiastic as a trainer/coach.

“During the break, he is in conversation with the referee, during which Wilfred Genee – who is present there as a parent – uninvitedly interferes with this conversation, after he had already, unasked, ventured onto the field earlier during the warm-up.

“As football clubs, we acknowledge together with the KNVB that parental interference around the football field constitutes a recurring problem that we consider undesirable.

“Since this is a personal conversation between the coach and the referee, we as a club believe that parents should not interfere with this. And because Arjen, in our view, does nothing improper, we consider this matter closed. Arjen has let us know that he has no desire to devote any further attention to this and is fully focusing on his role as trainer/coach.”

Robben, 42, began his footballing journey at Groningen before embarking on high-profile moves to PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

He made a comeback to the Dutch club in 2020, but hung up his boots after making just seven appearances. Throughout his distinguished international career, Robben earned 96 caps for the Netherlands, netting 37 goals.