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Adegate


Mr. Gayle

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EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR believes he was fully justified to taunt Arsenal fans because of the abuse he received from them.The Manchester City striker angered Gunners supporters by running the length of the Eastlands pitch to celebrate his goal in a 4-2 win over his former club on Saturday.Adebayor's actions led to a booking and an improper conduct charge from the FA, despite apologising straight after the game.But he has revealed why he did it - to ram the vile chants from fans back down their throats.Adebayor, who left the Emirates with Kolo Toure in the summer, said: "People talk about us as being football players and the money we earn, but just because we are fortunate it does not mean we need to take abuse."If you were to abuse a man in the street for over an hour he would react and it would be a worse reaction than a goal celebration!"There is only so much abuse a man can take until he reaches breaking point."I was being abused by people who six months ago were singing my name and the abuse was for no reason."I scored and I wanted to show people it is not a good idea to abuse me. I really didn't understand it at all."They were clapping Kolo but they were shouting personal abuse at me before the match even kicked off."Arsenal fans turned against Adebayor towards the end of his time in North London and chants aimed his way on Saturday were personal and targeted his family.The £25million hitman, who claims he suffered 60 minutes of non-stop abuse, said: "I was running on pure emotion and when you take emotion out of football we are going to have a big problem."People say I had time to think because I ran the length of the pitch but that is not true."I was abused all match and scored a goal I knew would win the game for us. Ten seconds is nothing. Your emotion is going to last a lot longer than that."Adebayor says the Arsenal fans were wrong to react the way they did following his celebration.There was a surge to the front of the away section and a steward needed hospital treatment after being knocked unconscious by a flying object.Adebayor, whose 80th-minute header put City 3-1 up at the weekend, said: "I know a steward got hurt and I really do want to say sorry for that because he didn't ask for any of this - he was just a man doing his job."Emotions were running high for me and it is obvious they were for Arsenal fans as well."They had just seen me score the goal that meant they had lost the game and that was very hard for them to take."The steward was just doing his job but if things hadn't been thrown and people had stayed in their seats then that wouldn't have happened."Players should feel like they can celebrate a goal without the fear of being hit by things."I think, in terms of class on the pitch, we have overtaken Arsenal and that was a reason for some of the hostility."Adebayor has been banned for three games for stamping on Robin van Persie's face in the game.Fuming Van Persie released a 200-word statement blasting his former strike partner.But, while Adebayor is not contesting the violent conduct rap, he still insists it was an accidental clash.The Togo international, 25, said: "I am sorry Robin got hurt but I can't regret something I did not mean to do."Anybody who knows me knows I would not set out to hurt anybody and I would especially not mean to hurt an old team-mate."I really am glad Robin was OK because I know my stud was close to his eye but there was really nothing I could have done - there was no way I could have got out of the way in time."AdvertisementAdebayor says he was wound up ahead of the Premier League game after being snubbed by some of his old Gunners team-mates.He explained: "There were players from Arsenal who refused to shake my hand before the match."I don't want to give you their names - that is not my style - but there's more than one of them."My friends, like Eboue, were fine with me. They are decent people. But I could not understand some of the Arsenal players being disrespectful towards me."These are people I have spent a lot of time with and people I thought were my friends."I can just about understand the fans' reaction because they don't know the full story."However the way some of the players behaved is just crazy."When a man offers you his hand, you shake it. For them to act like that was a disgrace."Adebayor also insists he never asked boss Arsene Wenger to let him leave the Emirates last season.He said: "I'm not sure if the fans understand what happened during the end of my time at Arsenal but I have done nothing wrong."An offer came in for me and, as I understand it, Arsene and the club accepted the offer the same day. It was not my fault I left, it was Arsene who wanted to accept the offer for me."I wasn't making any comments in the Press about wanting to leave or being unhappy, it was the club who wanted to sell me yet I am being abused by the fans who once cheered me."It makes no sense. Arsenal fans just don't have the full picture."I have said many times I enjoyed my time at the club and I scored a lot of goals."If they were unhappy with me leaving they need to take it up with their manager and their board because I had nothing to do with the sale."Arsene has said many things in the Press but I only take notice of those who matter to me."I read his comments but, as the tattoo on my arm says, 'Only God can judge me' not Arsene Wenger."Adebayor has to wait until the end of April for his return to the Emirates in the league.He can expect a rough reception - but the African will not duck out of it as he believes City will be in contention to win the title.He said: "People have asked me if they think I might be rested for the return match but I hope there is no chance."I am not the sort of man to shy away from things, I am not scared or intimidated by such things."I hope by the time the Emirates match comes round we are still very much fighting for the title at City and we are even leading the Premier League."
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CESC FABREGAS last night led a scathing Arsenal backlash on former team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor.Speaking for the first time about Adebayor's antics during last weekend's defeat at Manchester City, the Arsenal skipper lifted his tracksuit bottom to reveal a nasty three-inch gash across his right calf.That was the result of an X-rated Adebayor tackle and, pointing to the wound just above the ankle, Fabregas said: "I think this is a red card here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was from Adebayor."The £25million City striker's shameful kick in Robin van Persie's face marred the match and earned him a three-game ban.
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But his tackle on Fabregas could have left the midfielder with a broken ankle and Fabregas, 22, was keen to make the point.He added: "I was lucky my foot was in the air when it happened. You know this is football and it can happen. Well... it's not football but it can happen."Gunners boss Arsene Wenger blasted Adebayor's behaviour but Fabregas' gesture revealed the level of resentment towards their one-time team-mate.Fabregas added: "All I tried to do when he was at Arsenal was to create opportunities for him to score."So I think I didn't do too badly for him. I don't know. It is a bit strange. We don't think about him any more. He doesn't play for Arsenal so we just have to concentrate on our game and our players."Adebayor, who quit the Emirates in bitter fashion this summer, is also facing a further ban from the FA after running the full length of the pitch to celebrate his goal - City's third in the 4-2 win - in front of the angry Arsenal fans.It sparked a furious reaction from the away supporters and was heavily criticised in many quarters.Fabregas said: "No, there's never been another player who left and behaved like this."I have no idea why he did this. We always respected him, you know. It is difficult. He will have his own opinions. You have to ask him that. I don't really know."AdvertisementThe Arsenal star also refused to be drawn on speculation Adebayor, 25, had become isolated in the Arsenal dressing room.And he insisted: "Let's just move forward. If this is true or not it just stays in the dressing room."Even Emmanuel Eboue, a close pal of Adebayor, rounded on his fellow African star.Last season, Togo striker Adebayor put a consoling arm around the shoulder of a tearful Eboue when the Ivory Coast ace was subbed against Wigan after a section of disgruntled Arsenal fans booed the defender.Now, in the week when Wigan visit the Emirates again, Eboue did not mince his words about his pal.He said: "Adebayor didn't do well and that is no good for football because you have a lot of young people who watch the game."But I am happy because the FA gave him a three-game ban. I know him and he will think about what has happened and will take it on.I am very disappointed about it, very disappointed."Eboue has not spoken to Adebayor since last Saturday and may never speak to him again unless the City man calls to offer his apologies.Former Gunner Kolo Toure, who followed Adebayor to Eastlands, felt compelled to go to the Arsenal dressing room and apologise.Eboue added: "I haven't spoken to him since Saturday because I am very disappointed in him, it was a bad thing to do."In the dressing room, we were very disappointed because we don't know what happened to Adebayor."When he was in our team, we were together, we did everything together and so we don't know what happened."Kolo came into our dressing room and he said sorry to everyone and that was very nice."If Adebayor calls me, I'll speak with him. If he calls me, I'll say, 'Thank you, God.'"If he doesn't call me, that's his problem. I think about my team."
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ALEXANDRE SONG last night piled into the Adegate row by insisting Emmanuel Adebayor 'kicked everyone' at Eastlands.Gunners midfielder Song was a big pal of Adebayor before the striker's £25million move to Manchester City.And Song reacted bitterly when asked what he thought of Kolo Toure's comments that no player had shaken hands with Adebayor in the tunnel.Toure also moved from Arsenal to City this summer and Song fumed: "I think that Kolo is talking bull***t. He's talking nonsense."Ade was a 'big brother'. In London, I was almost living at his place, and he at mine."Once he went to City, it's true that our relationship was not what it had been before. I called him two or three times, and he didn't call me back."I'm not going to force him to do it. And I'm not going to have a laugh with him when I see him in the tunnel."Afterwards, on the pitch, he started to kick. He kicked everyone. That's not normal! He was aggressive."There was a free-kick in their favour and he slapped me. Coming from him - I couldn't believe it."Nobody doubts what Ade and Kolo have done for Arsenal. To say that the Gunners were not grateful to them, that's rubbish."I am surprised - nobody said anything bad about them, not the manager, not the players.Advertisement"Their reaction is abnormal. Kolo always was a leader on the pitch. He was always pushing us, all the time."I saw Adebayor at the end of the game and I talked to him. Calmly. The best answer for him would've been to do nothing."It'd have been more beautiful if he hadn't expressed his joy at scoring that way. I told him it was a really silly thing to do, really stupid."Yes, he disappointed me because the person I knew was not the person I met again that day."
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