Gunning for trouble: Bendtner and Adebayor clash
Nicklas Bendtner's father accused Emmanuel Adebayor of
being 'mad' as the full extent of his son's extraordinary bust-up
during Arsenal's 5-1 defeat at Tottenham became clear
yesterday.
Thomas Bendtner, who also acts as his son's agent, waded into the
row after Adebayor left the 20-year-old Arsenal striker with a cut
on his nose when he apparently butted him during the Carling Cup
semi-final defeat at White Hart Lane on Tuesday. Bendtner's father
said: "It's sad that a great player like Adebayor doesn't take his
head with him on to the field. He was mad. "I'm sure that Arsenal
will take care of this and give him the right punishment. I don't
expect anything to happen to Nicklas as he is innocent in this
matter.
"I've spoken to Nicklas and he's unaware as to why this happened.
He doesn't understand what took place to provoke it because he
didn't do anything wrong. If you ask me, he's without guilt as he,
unlike others, took his head with him on to the field. I think it
would be a good idea for Arsenal to have a long chat with the two
players and find out who is really to blame."
Sportsmail can reveal that the argument began when Bendtner ignored
calls from Adebayor, who had made an immediate impact as a
substitute by scoring for Arsenal to make it 4-1, to pass the
ball.
Angry: Bendtner puts his side of the story to Arsenal captain
Gallas
Bendtner ran down a blind alley and the feud continued on the edge
of the penalty area moments later as they prepared for Cesc
Fabregas to take a free-kick with seven minutes left. Adebayor and
Bendtner then argued about their positioning at the free-kick, with
both wanting to take up a near-post position, and the Dane
accidentally caught the back of his team-mate's heel, sparking the
incredible scenes that resulted in skipper William Gallas having to
separate the warring pair.
Adebayor was held back from another confrontation with the Denmark
international after the final whistle, but it is understood that
their disagreement later continued in the tunnel. The pair left
White Hart Lane separately Adebayor was detained for a routine
drugs test while Bendtner set off for the team bus.
Arsenal's shell-shocked players were given the day off yesterday,
but Arsene Wenger is expected to speak to them before training. The
Arsenal manager claimed he knew nothing about the incident a
familiar, if incredible reaction from the Frenchman. It seems
inconceivable that he missed the flare-up, which was witnessed by
36,000 spectators, several television crews and captured by
photographers.
Peace maker: Referee Howard Webb steps in
However, referee Howard Webb told the FA he had not seen the entire
incident and they have asked broadcasters to provide them with any
relevant television footage. It is not the first time that Bendtner
has been involved in controversy and the word in the game is that
the striker believes he is better than he is. He clashed with
Denmark team-mate Thomas Gravesen when the midfielder told the
striker to do 10 press-ups as a punishment for losing the
ball.
He spent last season on loan at Birmingham and, according to
sources at St Andrew's, he upset some of the club's established
players with his co.ckiness. He is clearly not short of confidence
and is understood to have irritated some members of the Arsenal
first team this season, too.
Bendtner threatened to quit the club when he returned from his loan
spell unless he was given a run in the team. He scored his first
Barclays Premier League goal within seconds of arriving as a
substitute in the derby against Tottenham in December, but remains
on the fringes of the first team.
Despite doubts among the Arsenal coaching staff about Bendtner's
prospects of reaching the very highest level, Wenger is impressed
by the player's incredible confidence in his own ability. He said
recently: With 95 per cent of players, you have to convince them
that they have the quality needed to go to the top. The other five
per cent come to you and tell you that they should be in the team
because they are the best players in the world.
"Their egos are so big, but I won't sign anyone who doesn't think
they can be stars. I only want to help players who want to be a
success and you can assess that at 18." That applies to Bendtner,
but he showed an aggressive streak when he was sent off at Everton
before Christmas. His relationship with his team-mates was hinted
at in Adebayor's reference to 'togetherness' in a half-hearted
apology, issued by the club last night.
The Togo striker said: "Overall, I think that we should have been
more calm during the game and although I was pleased to get a goal
for the team when I came on, I am sorry for the disagreement with
my team-mate Nicklas. "We are both passionate about this club and
sometimes that can be projected in the wrong way. It was a mistake.
We want to focus on the games ahead and rely on our squad's great
togetherness to achieve a fantastic season."
