Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini has bemoaned his perceived treatment by match officials due to his physical style of play.
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The Belgium international was recently handed a three-match retrospective ban for head-butting Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross in the Toffees' 1-1 draw at the Brittania Stadium in December.
And although the in-form target man has admitted the incident was his fault, he has revealed his frustration at a perceived lack of protection from officials in the build-up to such incidents.
"I won't let myself be messed around by defenders who want to tear off my foot or my head," Fellaini is quoted in The Sun.
"If the referee in the Stoke game had done his job properly I would not have been suspended. I was conned.
"I should not have reacted the way I did, as refs can't blow for a foul every single time.
"Besides, this was Stoke, and we knew to expect a physical battle. They pulled our shirts and fouled us throughout the game. In the end I saw red and shouldn't have. It was my fault.
"[But] I can see them keeping a special eye on me - they are frightened of me."
Fellaini, who is Everton's top scorer this season with 11 goals, hinted that his treatment may also be down to a bias towards foreign players in the Premier League.
"I am not angry with Shawcross. He tried to stop me, and was just doing his job," he added.
"But his hands were all over me the whole time. However, nobody said a word against him. He is English after all, so no problem!"
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