Wenger retracts statement after day of anguish and emotion at St Andrews.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger moved swiftly last night to withdraw his call for Birmingham s captain Matthew Taylor to be banned for life following the horrific incident which left Eduardo with a broken leg. The Arsenal manager issued a statement saying:
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger moved swiftly last night to withdraw his call for Birmingham's captain Matthew Taylor to be banned for life following the horrific incident which left Eduardo with a broken leg.
The Arsenal manager issued a statement saying: "I feel that my comments about Martin Taylor were excessive. I said what I did in the heat of the moment.
"It was a highly emotional afternoon and we were all shocked by the injury."
The stricken Eduardo was being attended to on the pitch for seven minutes and his team mates were obviously shocked by the extent of the injury.
Taylor's tackle was obviously high. He went in with studs showing yet the referee seemed to hesitate before brandishing the red card, perhaps because the incident came so early in the game.
Birmingham also released a statement, saying the club were "saddened that such a fantastic game of football has been marred by a serious injury".
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Despite playing with 10 men, they managed to hold a subdued looking Arsenal to a 2-2 draw, thanks to a last-gasp disputed penalty by James McFadden.
Arsenal skipper William Gallas sank to his knees, apparently in tears, as the final whistle sounded at the end of one of the most emotional and incident-packed matches of the seasons.
