Wenger wants 'diving' players suspended

LONDON COLNEY, England, Mar 24 (Reuters) Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called on referees to stamp out 'diving' by suspending guilty players.

''We have to fight it and there is only one way to punish people diving obviously -- suspension,'' Wenger told reporters. ''Once it is in the game it is difficult to get it out. Once a guy knows he might be punished he will not dive.'' Chelsea and England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips was accused of diving in Chelsea's 1-0- FA Cup quarter-final win on Wednesday and Newcastle United's Robbie Elliott was sent off.

''My view without going into any individual case is that we are all as managers to fight against it,'' Wenger said.

''Sometimes the players dive just because they pushed the ball too far and the only way to get something out of the situation is to dive.

''We are all managers who can say that never one of our players has not dived. Nobody can say that in our league,'' Wenger added.

''I can say that when my team are not involved I am 100 percent against it.'' Arsenal were at the centre of a diving controversy two seasons ago when midfielder Robert Pires won a penalty against Portsmouth to seal a home draw.

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