Wayne Rooney has insisted he did not mean to stamp on Ricardo Carvalho.

Rooney was sent off after clashing with Carvalho in England's World Cup quarter-final against Portugal last Saturday.

There was no apology but he broke his silence to defend his behaviour and pay tribute to the "awesome" efforts of his team-mates in his absence.

The Manchester United striker has until Thursday to submit his version of events to Fifa's disciplinary committee, which will then decide on the length of his ban.

Rooney, aged 20, said: "I remember the incident clearly and have seen it several times since on TV.

"I am of the same opinion now as I was at the time, that what happened didn't warrant a red card.

"If anything, I feel we should have had a free-kick for the fouls committed on me during the same incident."

Rooney had the ball in midfield and was fighting hard to keep possession under pressure from several Portuguese players.

Carvalho had fallen to the floor in his bid to win the ball and the England striker stepped on him, his boot hitting the defender's groin.

England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson discussed the incident with referee Horacio Elizondo after the game and did not dispute the decision.

Rooney said: "I want to say absolutely categorically that I did not intentionally put my foot down on Ricardo Carvalho.

"He slid in from behind me and unfortunately ended up in a position where my foot was inevitably going to end up as I kept my balance. That's all there was to it.

"If you ask any player - and indeed almost any fan - they will tell you that I am straight and honest in the way I play.

"From what I've seen in the World Cup, most players would have gone to ground at the slightest contact but my only thought then was to keep possession for England.

"When the referee produced the red card, I was amazed - gobsmacked."

Rooney was clearly not impressed with Carvalho's over-reaction, nor the fact that his United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo felt the need to pressurise on the referee.

He said: "I bear no ill feeling to Cristiano but am disappointed that he chose to get involved.

"I suppose I do have to remember that on that particular occasion, we were not team-mates."

England went on to draw 0-0 after extra-time but Portugal won 3-1 in the penalty shoot-out.

Eriksson's squad flew back to England on Sunday while Portugal take on France in the semi-final in Munich tomorrow. Rooney said: "I thought the England lads were awesome after I went off and the effort they put in was amazing. Truly, if there was any justice England would now be preparing for a World Cup semi-final. Sadly, however, that is not to be in 2006.

"I want again to thank my team-mates for the unbelievable effort they put in and for all the support and encouragement they gave me."

Rooney and the Football Association must now decide whether or not to apologise to Fifa for the incident. The England striker clearly insists it was an accident but Fifa are expected to back referee Elizondo's decision.

Any suspension will start in next season's Euro 2008 qualifiers and the disciplinary chiefs could impose a more lenient punishment if they receive a written apology.

Italy midfielder Daniele de Rossi was handed a suspension of four matches, rather than five, after apologising after he elbowed Brian McBride earlier in the tournament.