By Toby Prince
Arsenal face North London rivals Tottenham on Wednesday in an English Capital One Cup in White Hart Lane, coming on the heels of back-to-back defeats on the roads to Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea in the Champions and Premier Leagues respectively.
All eyes will be on Gunners boss, Arsene Wenger, who is on the spotlight, not for his side’s current form, but this time over his personal issues.
Reports floated all over the British press on Tuesday that the French tactician has separated from his wife, Annie Brosterhous, in a rather controversial circumstance.
According to the Daily Mirror, the 65-year-old has filed papers in his hometown of Strasbourg, France, with the couple reported to have agreed a financial package on how to divide their assists.
Official documents show the pair have not been together since June, when a continental judge is said to have granted them a “judicial separation” called “separe du corps” in French.
Annie has an18-year-old daughter, Leah, for the former Monaco coach.
They initially lived in different countries, with Annie staying in Monaco while Wenger lived in London after taking over at Arsenal in 1996.
A few weeks before their wedding it was reported that Wenger had become close to French rapper Sonia Tatar, then 39.
The Genesis
The whole divorce issue could be traced back to 2008 when Wenger revealed he promised to quit football for his wife, but we all know the outcome.
He admitted in The Independent that his job had been a strain on his long term relationship with Annie, who he married in 2010.
“Ten years ago I said to my wife (Annie), ‘Five more years and that’s all’, and I am still here,” Wenger said in 2008.
“It is difficult to find time to see them but there are jobs [which are worse]. You have guys who leave for work on Monday and come back on Friday.
“In my job I travel, but the problem is not so much the quantity of time you spend with your family, it is the quality.”
About Annie
Annie, 59, is a former basketball player turned school teacher. Wenger said about her in 2008:
“My wife likes watching football, she watches all the games of Arsenal at home. She is not a fanatic but she likes watching sports. No, she does not have much choice.”
The Confusion: “Separe du corps” (Judicial separation)
“Separe du corps” meaning judicial separation in English, is a pact signed by couples which is not a full divorce but a legal separation.
This would mean they will still be legally married but no longer living under one roof and free to see other people. If the separation is not challenged in two years, they will be automatically granted a divorce.
A French legal expert told The Sun: “This is a legal separation, which means that the couple are not legally obliged to live together, and they can have separate lives, and no longer had intimate relations.
“He will have to still keep his responsibilities to look after the family.
“This is something which is not often done anymore, often Catholic families use this, as they are reluctant to get a divorce, but legally there is little difference.”
What is need then?
This is a clear case of career over family, as the Frenchman has previously admitted that the pressure of his job has put further pressure on his relationship.
“You do not always give them the quality they deserve when you are at home because you are thinking of the next game,” Wenger was quoted as saying.
A spokesman for Arsenal told Mirror: “He is an employee and we do not talk about employees’ personal issues.”
