Arsene Wenger and Samir Nasri have been charged with improper conduct after their reaction to Arsenal’s Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona and the sending-off of Robin van Persie.
The Holland forward was shown a second yellow card in the last-16 tie at the Nou Camp after he shot at goal moments after Massimo Busacca, the referee, had signalled for offside.
Van Persie claimed he had not heard the whistle amid the noise of the 95,000-strong crowd and Arsenal went on to lose the match 3-1, going out 4-3 on aggregate.
Wenger clashed with the Swiss official twice after the red card, once in the tunnel and again half an hour after the game. The Frenchman then claimed that the dismissal of Van Persie had “killed the match” and said Arsenal could have won had he still been on the pitch.
Nasri has been charged after he challenged the referee at the end of the game. The Frenchman later added on his Twitter account: “Bussaca is the best.”
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Uefa studied reports from Busacca and Dane Jost, the match delegate, before asking its disciplinary unit to investigate. The cases will be heard on March 17.
In 2007 Wenger served a one-match ban for improper conduct, for showing dissent against a referee’s decision in a Champions League match.
Van Persie, whose first yellow card came for shoving Daniel Alves in the opening 45 minutes, described his sending-off as a “total joke”.
The 27-year-old received a one-match suspension for the incident, which Uefa has confirmed cannot be overturned.
“Under Article 44.4 of Uefa’s disciplinary regulations, appeals are only allowed against cautions on the grounds of mistaken identity,” Uefa said.
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Nevertheless, despite not commenting specifically on Busacca, Uefa added that his handling of the match would be investigated further.
“Referees are always evaluated,” it said. “There is a referee observer who evaluates their performance.”
It is not the first time that Busacca has been at the centre of a controversy. During a match in the Swiss Cup in September 2009, the 42-year-old aimed an obscene hand gesture at fans who verbally abused him and landed a three-match suspension.
He also made himself unpopular at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after he sent off Itumeleng Khune, the host team’s goalkeeper, in their 3-0 defeat by Uruguay. It was the only match he officiated during the tournament.