ARSENE Wenger’s refusal to shake the hand of Jose Mourinho followiing Sunday’s Community Shield has been headline news.

So much so that it is probably worth remembering that a football match actually took place at Wembley. For the record, Arsenal won.

But everyone wanted to talk about a handshake, or lack of, between two of the game’s most high profile managers.

To focus on such a thing is not uncommon, particularly with the cameras trained on the technical areas throughout a match as if they were filming a documentary.

It shows the level of scrutiny to which football is now subjected to, with every last gesture analysed to the nth degree.

Both managers had their say on the incident afterwards, both desperately scrambling for the moral high ground.

Mourinho made sure he shook the hand of every Arsenal player, patently trying to score some cheap political points.

It is all rather pathetic. Two grown men acting as though the other has marched home with the ball in the school playground.

We’ve seen it before and we’ll no doubt see it again before the season is out.

The Premier League is a compelling soap opera but I’m not sure there is any need for all this posturing.

It’s not difficult, whether it’s the Premier League or the local five-a- side competition, you play the game and shake hands afterwards win or lose. Nobody is asking them to socialise over a beer in the bar.

It’s the sporting thing to do. Which is what this, after all, a sport. Sworn enemies they might like to paint themselves but this is football, nothing else.

“I believe in a job where you have to respect people and respect everybody,” Wenger said in his post- match press conference.

“I think it’s vital — I’ve said many times in managers meetings — that managers respect each other.”

Clearly, that’s not the case.