LONDON, Dec 21: Arsenal will strongly defend Thierry Henry if he is charged with misconduct over the angry scenes at the end of Tuesday’s premier league defeat by Newcastle United, manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday.

“We will defend him as vigorously as we have done for everybody at this club,” Wenger told reporters at the club’s training ground.

Henry confronted referee Graham Poll and had to be restrained by team mates and physio Gary Lewin after Arsenal’s controversial 3-1 defeat at Highbury on Tuesday.

The English Football Association (FA) are studying Poll’s report of the incident before deciding whether to take action against the France striker.

“I have seen his (Poll’s) report and I think he has called it ‘aggressive attitude’,” said Wenger.

“But Henry did not touch the referee or insult him and we do not expect him to be charged.”

“Players insult referees every week and yet nothing happens to them. Henry is a winner. He gets kicked 99 percent of the time on the pitch and never reacts.

“I have spoken to him about it and he knows he over-reacted. In an ideal world, he would not have reacted at all but, overall, his behaviour is very fair.”—Reuters