Adebayor set to learn his fate

Manchester City star Emmanuel Adebayor will learn his fate over a charge of improper conduct at a Football Association hearing on Thursday.

Adebayor, 25, was charged following his controversial goal celebration in the game against Arsenal on 12 September.

The case will be heard by an FA panel at an undisclosed time and location.

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There has been plenty of soundbites in the press already today, with Mark Hughes saying:

"We hope Manu won't get any more matches," added Hughes. "We don't think he should."

"The circumstances of the game and amount of criticism and vitriol he had to take wasn't nice," said Hughes.

"It was difficult for him - it was the first time he was up against former team-mates and some of those felt they couldn't even shake his hand.

"All these things maybe affect somebody's emotional state in the game. The celebrations were an outpouring of that."

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp also weighed in, adding:

He took a load of abuse from Arsenal fans, scored against them, ran the length of the pitch to the away end and dropped to his knees as if to say to them "I've scored, 'ave some of that'".

Stuart Brennan however, in The MEN, makes the staunchest defence of Adebayor in this piece, summised as follows:

RIOT and you land a hated opponent in hot water. Behave yourself, and the player gets off with it.

The Football Association will send out that twisted message loud and clear if they decide to punish Emmanuel Adebayor with a ban for improper conduct today.

Punishing Adebayor, whilst Robin van Persie and Gary Neville were simply told to stop being such naughty boys, would be wholly inappropriate - and the whole logic of the FA needs to be looked at.

When it boils down to it, Adebayor is being punished for the bad behaviour of the Arsenal fans.

It will be superfluous to repeat much of what I have already posted in the wake of the incident, and there is truth to the argument that the reaction of the Arsenal fans and the hype leading up to the game has maginified the signifance of what happened.

Suffice to say though that - and despite the precedents of late with Robin van Persie, Craig Bellamy or Gary Neville 'escaping' improper conduct charges - I would still be hugely surprised if Adebayor wasn't handed a one-game ban.