More like this
‘No comment’ from Arsene Wenger on alleged affair
Bad day for Arsenal boss - defeated by Newcastle and accused of having ‘secret French lover’
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger released a statement yesterday in response to a claim published by the Sun that he has been having a secret affair with Sonia Tatar, a 39-year-old former waitress and singer he met in a Paris restaurant two years ago.
Wenger, 61, who lives in London with his wife Annie and teenaged daughter Leah, said: "This is a very serious matter. I do not intend to make any comment and wish to deal with the matter privately."
Hours before hosting Newcastle in the Premier League today, his club released a separate statement saying: "Arsenal FC considers the allegations concerning our manager Arsene Wenger strictly a private matter and we ask that the privacy of Arsene and his family be respected."
The Sun claimed on Saturday that Wenger had stopped in Paris on the way back from Arsenal's midweek defeat to Shaktar Donetsk in Ukraine to see Tatar. They allegedly met at Charles de Gaulle airport where Wenger, who often acts a pundit on French TV, was apparently recognised by several members of the public.
Today the News of the World , the Sun's sister paper, claims Tatar has been desperate for Wenger to leave London - where he has managed Arsenal since 1996 - and find a job in Paris so that they can be together. The paper reports that "intriguingly" Wenger's name was linked last month with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The News of the World also reports that Wenger was so "flustered" when he left his north London home yesterday following publication of the Sun story that he "pranged" a van in his Lexus LS600, knocking off his front number-plate.
Sonia is described as having recorded a number of hip-hop records but having made very little money out of them. At 39, she is said to be "desperate to be famous".
There were fears at Arsenal that Newcastle fans would make the most of the story and taunt Wenger during today's game at the Emirates Stadium. In the event, the Geordies had no need to chant insults - they were too busy celebrating a surprise 1-0 victory over the Gunners. ·
