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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger brands abuse he has received as a 'disgrace' and something he 'will never forget'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger brands abuse he has received as a 'disgrace' and something he 'will never forget'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has described the criticism he has received this season as a “disgrace” and believes he has been treated “in a way that human beings don’t deserve”.

The Frenchman has been the subject of fierce fan protests and there have been planes flown overhead during matches carrying anti-Wenger messages.

Arsenal missed out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 20 years after finishing fifth in the Premier League but has a two-year contract on the table ready for him to sign should he decide to stay at the club he has been at since 1996.

Wenger is bidding to become the most successful-ever FA Cup manager on Saturday afternoon as he looks to lift his seventh FA Cup but has said the anger and fury aimed at him this season is something he “will never forget”.

“I don't mind criticism because we are in a public job,” he told BBC Sport's Football Focus.

“I believe there's a difference between being criticised and being treated in a way that human beings don't deserve."

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“The lack of respect from some has been a disgrace and I will never accept that. I will never forget it.

“The behaviour of some people during the season, that is what hurts me most. It's not my person that is hurt but the impeccable image of the club around the world. That kind of behaviour does not reflect what Arsenal is.

“A strong club is a club that makes a decision. It is wrong that in modern society it is not a question of whether a decision is right but whether it is popular. That has nothing to do with competence. People with responsibility have to make the right decision.”