ARSENE WENGER, the Arsenal manager, promised that the club will defend Dennis Bergkamp after the former Holland forward was charged with violent conduct by the FA yesterday. Graham Barber, the match referee, took no action when Bergkamp allegedly stamped on Nils-Eric Johansson, the Blackburn Rovers defender, during the Barclaycard Premiership match at Highbury on October 26. However, the FA brought the charge after studying television replays of the incident. Bergkamp has 14 days in which to respond.

“We will defend him,” Wenger said. “I believe Dennis did not want to harm the player. If you look at the number of players Dennis has injured in his career, you will not be surprised to find it is zero. But he has got a few kicks himself. It was just a frustrated reaction.”

Despite Wenger’s protestations, Bergkamp, who has protested his innocence, does not have a blameless record. He was suspended for three matches in January after being sent off after a similar incident involving Jamie Carragher, the Liverpool defender, in an FA Cup fourth-round match at Highbury.

Wenger has dismissed suggestions that the club is the victim of a vendetta by the authorities. “We now try to take the positives out of everything,” Wenger said. “We have improved our disciplinary record and, rather than feel victimised, we will improve again.”

• England has been chosen to host the 2005 Uefa European Women’s Championship. Hope Powell, whose team can qualify for the 2003 World Cup Finals in China if they win away to France in next Saturday’s play-off final second leg, said: “It’s great to have qualified without having kicked a ball.”