The extraordinary statement from Mourinho came in the wake of Chelsea's 1-0 Champions League defeat by Real Betis in Seville on Tuesday night and was a direct response to stinging criticism from Wenger hours earlier.

Wenger had hinted that he could seek redress through the courts or the Football Association over Mourinho's description of him as a "voyeur," obsessed with everything about Chelsea.

But he also veered into personal abuse with what was widely interpreted as a jibe at Mourinho. "If you give success to stupid people, then it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent," Wenger told reporters.

Mourinho, who was already in a bad mood after what he described as the worst performance of his time in charge at Chelsea, responded by insisting he would not be the first to call a truce in the dispute.

"We have a file of quotes from Mr. Wenger about Chelsea Football Club in the last 12 months," he said.

"It is not a file of five pages, it's a file of 120 pages, so we have a very strong reaction. I accept it has to stop but if he doesn't stop, we are there."

Relations between Mourinho and Wenger have never been better than frosty but it was comments from the Arsenal boss last week that lit the fire now burning out of control.

Wenger, who is much appreciated by journalists for his willingness to respond directly to most questions, suggested Chelsea may have lost a little bit of self belief following a 1-1 draw with Everton, which ended their winning start to the season in the league, and a League Cup exit at the hands of Charlton.

That prompted Mourinho to claim Wenger was rattled by Chelsea's success. "I think he is one of these people who is a voyeur," the Portuguese coach claimed.

Wenger branded that remark "out of order, disconnected from reality and disrespectful," and added: "I will see if I take any action on that."

Wenger insisted that he had simply been attempting to answer questions about Chelsea, rather than deliberately setting out to make comments aimed at unsettling the champions.

As well as a potential legal action for slander, Wenger could ask the Football Association to charge Mourinho with bringing the game into disrepute, although he may not be immune from such a charge himself.

The Frenchman insisted: "I'm not obsessed at all with Chelsea. I'm at a club where I'm very happy. Things have changed over the years in English football.

"There wasn't anything malicious in what I said. I was asked a question about Chelsea and I gave an honest answer, just as I expect any other manager to do when he is asked about Arsenal.

"I can't see what is wrong there, or we would all have to close our Press conferences."