Avram Grant... Pompey manager considering priorities
'Clubs must abide by team selection rules'
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By Chris Harris
Arsène Wenger has urged Portsmouth to respect the Premier League rules when they fulfil their remaining fixtures this season.
The top flight's bottom club are 17 points adrift of safety with just nine games remaining after they were deducted nine points for going into administration. Portsmouth's plight prompted manager Avram Grant to consult his players over whether they should still prioritise the Premier League with an FA Cup Semi-Final on the horizon and World Cup commitments beyond that.
Wolves were fined by the Premier League earlier this season for fielding a weakened team against Manchester United and Wenger hopes Portsmouth take heed of that punishment. According to the Arsenal manager, Grant is "too proud" to follow Wolves' example and he expects Portsmouth to ensure the Premier League remains a fair competition.
"There are rules in the Premier League [over fielding weakened teams]," pointed out Wenger at his pre-match press conference.
"I was criticised at the time when Wolves played a weakened team but since that they have been fined by the Premier League. So there are rules that everybody has to respect. In England we are quite strict with the rules so it is a good moment to do that.
"But the most important is that the players and the team turns up with the right spirit on the day of the game. Of course, Portsmouth is going through a difficult time and I cannot imagine Avram Grant playing with disinterest. He is too proud to do that and I am convinced that he will play every game to win it.
"I am not a judge in England. I am just like you [the media] - somebody who wants the competition to be fair. You are television, you pay a lot of money for football so you are in exactly the same position as I am. That means you want a fair competition."
[Friday, March 19, 2010]
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