The Frenchman says referees are being conned by players feigning injury in an attempt to have others sent off.

Wenger claims Charlton midfielder Neil Redfearn was responsible for Patrick Vieira being shown the red card during last Monday's Premiership game at The Valley, which Arsenal won 1-0.

Vieira is facing a three-match ban but FA spokesman Steve Double said: "Arsenal can appeal against the Vieira decision if they so desire. They know the appeal procedure."

Foreign players have been accused of feigning injury in the past, but Wenger believes their English counterparts are learning fast.

Vieira (right) is consoled by Martin Keown

"It's growing in England. It's not huge compared to other countries but it's becoming bigger and bigger," he said.

"I don't like it, whether it's an English player or a foreign player. I like people who put their foot in and are aggressive on the field, but who don't behave like cheats."

Wenger wants the FA to adopt the French system when videos of games are reviewed by disciplinary officials, who are empowered to take action against guilty players.

"You need to punish people who cheat. Those who go down on purpose in the penalty area should get the red card and those who do so elsewehere on the pitch should also be punished.

"The difficulty for the referees is to sometimes see at normal pace what has happened. Sometimes you can only see on slow motion that the guy was cheating," Wenger added.

Redfearn rejects Wenger charge

Redfearn's conscience is clear

Vieira was sent off after Redfearn went down clutching his face, but Wenger claims his aggressive reputation is unfair.

He claims Vieira's elbow came into contact with Redfearn's chest after the Charlton player had tackled him from behind.

"My thought is that Patrick didn't deserve to be sent off and the Neil Redfearn cheated the referee.

"Usually, I think, Redfearn is an honest type but on that occasion, maybe Charlton wanted so much to win the game that he was ready for everything to get him sent off," said Wenger.

But his allegations have been dismissed by Redfearn, who said: "The first time he swung he just caught me on the cheek just below my eye and then swung again and caught me on the shoulder. When he did catch me on the eye it was quite painful."

He added: "I didn't want Patrick to be sent off. I would never want to do that to a fellow professional. I think he's a fantastic player and I'm disappointed how it's turned out.