Ade-bye-bye

From ESPN Soccernet:

Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has ''reluctantly accepted" the violent conduct charge put on him for his clash with Robin Van Persie at the weekend.
The Togo international appeared to rake his studs down Van Persie's face after a tackle in a fractious encounter with former club Arsenal at Eastlands. The Dutch forward later called it a "mindless and malicious stamp."
A statement on City's club website read: ''Manchester City announce that both the club and Emmanuel Adebayor have reluctantly accepted the violent conduct charge laid by the Football Association in the wake of the victory over Arsenal. The player strongly maintains that he did not intend to act in a violent manner.
City's decision not to contest the charge means Adebayor will certainly miss this Saturday's top of the table derby with rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.
A further charge of improper conduct, for Adebayor's pitch-length dash to celebrate his goal in front of Arsenal's fans, is also being considered. If found guilty another game could be added to any ban. [end Soccernet]
An unlikely ally has emerged from this embarassment to football...Harry Redknapp. The Tottenham manager released this whopper:
"It's not celebrating a goal that cause riots, it's idiots who want to start riots..."
Sounds like a National Rifle Association soundbite..."it's not guns that kill people, it's people who kill people." To quote one of my favorite comedians, Eddie Izzard, "but you have to admit the gun helps! "You don't walk up to a person and yell 'BANG!' and then they die...unless they have a dodgy heart!" Funny, but true. Old Harry ('Arry to the football literate) thinks that the Arsenal fans are to blame, as they heaped too much abuse upon their former striker. If you believe that, Arry, then are you willing to give a pass to any footballer who acts out because he said that he was taunted? That would be EVERY FOOTBALLER IN THE WORLD! Taunting is a part of every sport. I grew up watching baseball and to this day I still contradict the calls of every umpire! "Come on, Blue! Every ball can't be a strike!" I played fastpitch and I can't even count how many times I was taunted by the catcher while I was batting. But you have to put it behind you and move on. The best way to get back at the stupid catcher is to get a hit. That way they know they're not getting to you. Adebayor riled the fans by running the length of the pitch and gesturing in front of them. If he hadn't done that, we wouldn't be talking about this.
And to the argument fomented by 'Arry and others (including his son, Jamie) that footballers aren't paid to be role models and that it's hard to ignore the taunts , I say "Poppycock," "Balderdash," or any number of snooty British phrases. Adebayor plays for a team that is funded by a company, whose name is emblazoned across his chest...which was seen last Saturday sprinting down the pitch like an idiot and then almost inciting a riot. I wonder what that company would have to say about Ade's behavior that day. I'm not sure you will see a photo of him, in full lunacy, starring in an advert for Etihad (Man Shotty's sponsor)!
Players are taunted constantly. Last year during the Chelsea/Man United match, Cristiano Ronaldo was taunted by the Chelsea fans with "You should have died in the tunnel!!" They were referring to a crash that occurred just a few days before, in which he totaled his brand new Ferrari in a runway tunnel underneath Manchester Airport....."You should have died in the tunnel..." Now CR (who is the same age as Adebayor) could have pitched a fit and jumped into the stands and started a riot. Instead, his team ran riot over Chelsea. Who had the last laugh? CR, when he kissed the Premier League Championship trophy!
This incident will most likely echo throughout the season, as others transgress and then are held to a new standard. I can't say that's a bad thing. The old days of soccer hooliganism, which stunted the growth of soccer in the US, should be well past us. I'm not giving a pass to the Arsenal fans. The price of your ticket doesn't give you the right to act like an animal. Your ticket is a privilege, that some of us have never had. I would love to see a Prem League match in person, instead of screaming at it on my television. If I am ever afforded that privilege, I certainly won't yell at a player that "he should have died in the tunnel!"
Adebayor could have taken a lesson from Sister Elizabeth Kenny (who pioneered a treatment for Polio)..."He who angers you conquers you."