Thugs won't put us off, says Wenger

Arsene Wenger last night insisted his side's Premiership preparations will not be ruined by Austrian hooligans after thugs attacked police during Saturday's friendly against Rapid Vienna.

The match in Eisenstadt had to be abandoned and Wenger was determined to have guarantees that trouble would not break out during the two remaining games of Arsenal's Austrian tour.

The manager said: 'We have been given assurances that the necessary security measures are in place. The club finds the unsavoury incidents at Saturday's match wholly unacceptable.

'However, we will not allow the actions of a mindless minority to disrupt our pre-season preparations.'

Around 50 Rapid Vienna fans were responsible for the violence as police came under fire from wooden benches, empty beer crates and bottles for around 10 minutes.

Arsenal's squad watched from the centre circle as the trouble continued in the stand. Police finally regained control and the game, which stood at 0-0, was briefly restarted before the Arsenal players made a dash to the safety of the dressing room. Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has called on the Austrian FA to hold an inquiry.

The incident could have wider implications as Austria and Switzerland are hoping to co-host the 2008 European Championship Finals, and are seen as the main threat to a Scottish-Irish bid.