Wenger fears English football will begin to tolerate 'cowards'

London: Arsene Wenger launched an extraordinary attack on Friday on opponents he believed were out to "kick and punch'' his young side into submission, just 24 hours after Sheffield United captain Chris Morgan was given a three-match ban for violent conduct against Robin van Persie.

Wenger feared, he said, for an English football culture that could tolerate "cowards'' who confused commitment with aggression.

Visibly angry at claims by Sheffield that Arsenal had acted like "big babies'' over last Saturday's 1-0 defeat, Wenger indicated that his team had been cynically outmuscled.

"What I don't accept is that if we are beaten physically because we don't go into contact, people come out and say, 'Look, they are babies'. I want my players to be respected, and when things go overboard I'm not here to say, 'Yes, you're right.' Of course I am a bad loser. But to get out there and be kicked and punched, and still have to say, 'Sorry, we are not strong enough' - it's difficult to take. I feel sometimes that if that's the way we go, that does not progress English football.''

As he castigated Morgan, who apparently punched Van Persie in the stomach when referee Lee Mason was not looking, Wenger also alluded to the insights he had as a player into such underhand tactics.

"If you go with the idea to kick somebody, not to play the ball, do you know what my experience is? Most cowards I played with were those who tried to hit somebody. But when you're brave, you're strong, you respect the rules. I have the right to say after the game what I think about it. You cannot say on the one hand that you want a player to give you pleasure with good football, and the other accept that he is destroyed and say, 'Well done'. That cannot work.''

Wenger is still fighting a charge of improper conduct after he was ordered to the stands during Arsenal's draw against Portsmouth for his criticism of referee Steve Bennett. Denying that he had sworn at Bennett, Wenger nonetheless argued: "It's a two-way thing. Referees could call the managers 'sir' as well.''

Meanwhile, the international friendly between Brazil and Portugal on February 6 will be played at the Emirates Stadium.