Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will learn from his smoking-in-the-showers mistake and has apologised, says Arsene Wenger.
The manager refused to divulge whether Szczesny's punishment -- which reportedly included a 20,000 pound fine -- would extend to him being left out of the team to face Stoke on Sunday, but indicated he was ready to move on from the incident which took place after his team's defeat at Southampton last week.
Asked if Szczesny had apologised, Wenger said: "Of course. He is a serious boy and works very hard. He made a mistake. He is not the first one and not the last one. He will learn from it.
"Ideally, you want everyone to behave in a perfect way. I like Wojciech as a person and when he makes a mistake, he stands up for it. He has contributed to the good image of Arsenal and he is a guy who learns from his mistakes.
"Every club has its internal discipline and rules and it doesn't need to be public." Szczesny's father, Maciej, claimed Arsenal staff and players had let his son down but Wenger dismissed the comment, saying he didn't take any notice of family members' outbursts.
The manager has had to deal with previous incidents of players smoking, with Nicklas Bendtner and Jack Wilshere photographed doing so in recent years.
It was claimed by The Times that Arsenal players caught indulging the habit while on club duty would be sent to train with the youth team and Wenger made clear when he considers it acceptable for players to smoke.
"You can do what you want at home," Wenger said. "Players here are judged on their performances. Ideally, the best way to have a high level of performance as possible is to follow the rules that allow you to perform.
"I am against smoking, but I have grown up I a period when I had to accomplish military service. At the end, they paid us in cigarettes. They incited us to smoke. Slowly now, it has become banned. I smoked myself when I didn't play anymore and I became a young coach.
"We only got alerted [to the health risks] later. Human beings are human beings, with their strengths and weaknesses. We know this is not good. Overall, these players are professional. Wilshere was on holiday [when he was caught smoking]. You cannot control the players on holiday."
Wenger's refusal to confirm whether Szczesny will play on Sunday may give some encouragement to David Ospina, who is waiting for his chance to supplant the Poland goalkeeper.
"I haven't selected the first eleven yet [but] I take everything into account," Wenger said. "I don't want to talk about that [his punishment]. What happens in our dressing room stays in the dressing room, apart from the fact it doesn't stay in there!"