Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has continued his feud with the Football Association by claiming the Gunners are treated more harshly than other clubs.
The Frenchman has refused to accept the FA's decision to ban striker Emmanuel
Adebayor in the wake of the brawl which marred the end of last Sunday's Carling
Cup final.
Wenger claimed the Togo international did nothing to warrant his three-game
ban and has been asked by FA to explain comments made earlier in the week, when
he claimed 'the whole system is not honest'.
But Wenger today insisted he will persist with his attempts to clear
Adebayor.
'The referee and the linesman made a big mistake and I am able to prove it,'
he told a press conference. 'Adebayor did not punch
(Frank) Lampard and did not intend to and we can prove it.
'It is not the truth. We do not accept that. I do not accept that the club is
treated like that.
'I will defend that to the FA. It was a lie and is not responsible.'
Arsenal will also be without defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue for
tomorrow's clash with Reading after they too received three-match suspensions in
the wake of the final.
Wenger claimed the north London club had been treated harshly by the FA and
believes their actions on the pitch do nothing to warrant their frequent scrapes
with the authorities.
'It is regrettable that it punished the club,' he continued. 'The club deserves more respect than that, it is undeserved.
'We are guided to win, we love to be fair, but to be treated like we have in
this case is not acceptable.
'We want to focus on our desire to play football. I have got many calls from
people abroad who can't believe what happened.
'We commit the lowest fouls in the league but we are the most punished
'We are entitled to get the same treatment as everybody else.'
Wenger once again took the opportunity to condemn the FA's disciplinary
procedures and claimed his players' behaviour received undue attention.
'The whole system is not fair and not honest and it's wrong,' he argued.
'There is no bad intention inside the FA but I believe it is not right.
'In England you can kick people off the park and no-one is shocked, but you
push someone and the whole country is shocked.
'If you love football you love fair behaviour on the pitch. We are fair on
the pitch.'
An FA spokesman said they would be making no further comment on the issue
until they had received Wenger's response to their request for him to clarify
his earlier remarks.
