Arsenal fight FA over Vieira
Arsenal were today hoping that the Football Association's disciplinary panel would deliver a "not guilty" verdict on midfielder Patrick Vieira.
The Frenchman faces a three-match ban following Arsenal's Premiership clash against Leeds at Elland Road in November. Vieira was not among seven Arsenal players booked by referee Dermot Gallacher but he was charged after the FA referred two incidents involving him to their video panel.
After a nine-day delay, the panel decided to take action over a clash with Olivier Dacourt and another with Norwegian midfielder Eirik Bakke.
But Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has promised to fight the charge with the same level of commitment which last week saw him overturn a 12-match touch-line ban imposed on him after an incident at Sunderland in August.
If Vieira is banned, one of the games he would miss is the Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on 25 February.
Meanwhile, Gilles Grimandi today admitted that he had a training ground bust-up with Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry.
The row led to reports of major rifts in the Arsenal camp, but Grimandi dismissed the affair as a few "heated words".
Grimandi gave his version of events on the icons.com website. He said: "It is true that we had some heated words after the game but they were forgotten straight away.
"To imply, as one newspaper did, that this was the sort of row that is splitting the Arsenal camp is not fair or accurate.
"I've known Thierry since he was 14 and first arrived at Monaco. We're extremely close to one another and have enormous mutual respect.
"Thierry and myself have spent so much time together, probably about six years at Monaco and two years here at Arsenal and know each other very well.
"Therefore, we can say things to each other that we'd never say to anyone else.
"Sometimes we can really shout at each other and say bad things, but five minutes later it's all forgotten and we're the best of friends, so let's not allow this to get out of hand."
