Fuming Wenger Set to Fine Gallas After Defender is Caught Smoking

Arsène Wenger has revealed that he was once a smoker but his liberal attitude is not expected to spare William Gallas, the Arsenal captain, from a club fine after he was photographed in the small hours of Thursday morning leaving a London nightclub with a cigarette in his mouth.

Wenger will check the authenticity of the pictures and speak to Gallas to remind him of his responsibilities. The French defender was among a host of celebrities at the reopening of the Movida club, which was also attended by the Chelsea players Florent Malouda and Mikel John Obi.

"First, I have to speak to Gallas," said Wenger, before his own previous as a smoker came out. "I did smoke but never a lot and never when I played. After, when I became a young coach, I sometimes had one [cigarette] because my assistant was smoking at three o'clock in the morning, when we had lost a big game.

"In France, we all smoke. I have seen buses in France that you would not believe, you do not see each other. When I was a player, nobody would ever tell you that you should not smoke. We were driving home in coaches. You had to open the windows in winter to see each other."

Gallas is due to return to the team for tomorrow's visit to West Ham United after a thigh complaint and Wenger gave his full backing to the center-half. But he did point out that his aversion to smoking was based on the affect it might have on the player's fitness and his reputation as a professional. "Gallas has a responsibility as captain and that cannot be accepted," insisted the Arsenal manager. "It is a public job with public responsibility. But there is smoking and there is smoking. I am sure you had players who were smoking 40 cigarettes a day."

Wenger went on to claim that West Ham might now be title contenders had they hung on to their young stars years ago. "They had a team to win the championship, if you take the players now [when they have matured]," he said. "[Joe] Cole, [Frank] Lampard, [Michael] Carrick, Rio Ferdinand. [Paolo] Di Canio played, too. They had an unbelievable team."

He believes, though, that the club's new manager, Gianfranco Zola, can guide them towards success. "Zola was an Arsenal player, he just went in the wrong direction [to Chelsea]," remarked Wenger with a smile. "I like him as a player and as a man."