Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas claims Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor should have been sent off for a foul on him during their sides' fiery meeting.

Adebayor has been banned for three games for violent conduct after a clash with ex-Gunners team-mate Robin van Persie in City's 4-2 win on Saturday.

And Fabregas, pointing at a gash on his leg, said: "I think this is a red card. I was lucky my foot was in the air."

Adebayor also faces an improper conduct charge for his goal celebration.

The 25-year-old, who joined City from Arsenal for £25m in the summer, caught Van Persie's face with his boot during the second half of his team's victory last Saturday.

He misses Sunday's trip to Manchester United and home games against Fulham - in the Carling Cup - and West Ham.

There is only so much abuse a man can take until he reaches breaking point

Adebayor may also have to explain his goal celebration in front of the Arsenal fans, with City having until 30 September to respond to the Football Association's charge.

The Togo striker believes he was fully justified in running the length of the pitch to celebrate a goal before the away supporters.

"There is only so much abuse a man can take until he reaches breaking point," Adebayor told The Sun.

"People talk about us as being football players and the money we earn, but just because we are fortunate does not mean we need to take abuse.

"I scored and I wanted to show people it is not a good idea to abuse me. They were shouting personal abuse at me even before the match kicked off.

"I was running on pure emotion and when you take emotion out of football we are going to have a big problem."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger tried to move on from the Adebayor situation on Friday but defended his work with the player.

"In our job you accept that you give and do not expect any return, so you are never disappointed," said the Frenchman.

"I feel my job is to give to people as much as I can and without expecting any return from that. That is how I approach my job. In this case specifically, I do not feel I have done too badly.

"I believe I succeeded (with Adebayor as a player), but you can always do better and that is what is my approach.

"I try to help every single player to achieve something in his career and over the years I feel I have done quite well."

Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Eboue, however, says he was disappointed by his former colleague's behaviour.

"I have no idea why he acted like this," said Eboue. "We always respected him.

I made Adebayor a better player - Wenger

"I am very, very happy because the FA have given him a three-game ban (for the Van Persie stamp).

"What he did was no good for football. I am very disappointed about it, very disappointed."

But Adebayor, who counts Eboue as one of his closest friends at Arsenal, says his former team-mates also showed his a lack of respect.

"There were players from Arsenal who refused to shake my hand before kick-off," he added.

"My friends, like Eboue, were fine, they are decent people. But I could not understand some of the players being disrespectful towards me.

"I have spent a lot of time with them and I thought they were my friends, but the way some of them behaved is just crazy.

"When a man offers you his hand, you shake it. For them to act like that was a disgrace."

April 2010 News