"If it meant going back tomorrow, I wouldn't be capable of giving everything that I've got," Adebayor said in an interview with SNTV on Wednesday.
"At the moment, I'm just sweating every day and every day that God made. At the moment, I can't even eat — I'm losing weight, which is very difficult for everyone.
"I will take time and I will come back on the pitch at the right time, and I think my boss (Roberto Mancini) and my team understand that is the most important thing.
"And they know I need time to recover from this, and at the moment I am just staying home with all my (Togo) team-mates. We are together — (as) one."
According to the Mail today, we could be set to lose the services of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure for upto 10 matches in January:
But they have learned that star players such as Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure at Manchester City, Chelsea duo Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, plus Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue, of Arsenal, could be made to leave England as early as December 26 – even though the tournament does not start until January 10.
FIFA rules state clearly that countries can ask players to report a full two weeks ahead of a major tournament, meaning that key English-based players could join training camps as early as December 27.
No official word on their departure date as yet, and I'm certain that the club will negotiate to ensure both players are available for the two league fixtures before Christmas and New Year.
If so, it will only be four league games the duo miss (perhaps less if their countries are eliminated at an early stage - more likely for Adebayor than Toure), but there will be the added possibility of them missing a potential Carling Cup semi-final (both legs) and the FA Cup 3rd and 4th round ties.
Of course, this shouldn't be a surprise to the management and you do hope that the usual disrespectful moaning from certain managers about the tournament isn't something we are going to hear again throughout January.
Well, not as such anyway as he was handed a two game suspended ban, in addition to a £25,000 fine, with the FA saying:
“In reaching its decision, the Commission took into account his (Adebayor’s) admission of the charge, public apology and the extremely provocative nature of the abuse he received.
“However, the Commission also stated that players have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a proper manner and that such celebrations are unacceptable and have the potential to cause a serious public order incident.”
Following the incident, my view was that he should receive a one-game ban for his celebration following the goal and as I wrote yesterday, expected that to be the punishment handed down. On reflection though, perhaps a suspended ban is the right punishment given his apology and no prior transgressions.
This is not to necessarily applaud the FA's decision though. In many ways, this is classic FA - seen to be handing out a punishment and appearing tough, but actually doing very little in reality. What also helped Adebayor of course, was that once the furore and attention on him dimmed a little, the actions of Robin van Persie in the same game, and then both Craig Bellamy and Gary Neville in the derby which illicited no punishment left the FA with little option but to not hand out a punishment that saw Adebayor miss any further playing time on top of the three games he already served.
There was no comment from Adebayor himself following the hearing - which perhaps does nothing to dispel the feeling that FA disciplinary committees function mainly with the assistance of a blindfold, pin and piece of paper - but Mark Hughes echoed most fans thoughts:
"There has been a lot said and written about Emmanuel's goal celebration. We are just glad to put it all behind us now," Mark Hughes, the City manager, said. "Manu was in great form before his suspension and having him available again is a huge boost to us."
We should now see Adebayor return to the side for the game at Aston Villa on Monday night, and the focus I'm sure will be well and truly focused on him should he find the net.
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.
Adebayor, 25, yesterday accepted the suspension, which will commence with Sunday's Manchester derby match against rivals United at Old Trafford, after pleading guilty to the violent conduct charge brought as a result of his foul on Robin van Persie. The Dutch forward suffered facial injuries during City's 4-2 Eastlands victory last Saturday. Although City officials believed that they could have mounted a case in Adebayor's defence, the risk of losing such an appeal and possibly receiving a lengthier suspension for the player prompted the club's legal advisers to accept the FA's punishment of a three-game ban.
As predicted then, and hopefully this will now draw a (temporary at least) line under matters.
Most of us accept that regardless of what led up to the incident, Adebayor at the very least kicked out at Van Persie and therefore deserved a three-game suspension for it.
Hopefully we can now move on as it has dominated the media this week with all and sundry lining up to add their thoughts - lest we forget there is the derby coming up?
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.
He apologised on the day to Robin van Persie personally and to the wider public for the outcome of the challenge.
We await the findings of the FA's Disciplinary Panel which is due to meet tomorrow.
I suspect that given the reaction and attention that has been heaped on the incidents since Saturday, whilst the club and Adebayor may feel he is innocent of the charge (in public at least), they feel that the chances of a succesful appeal are limited.
By accepting the charge, it is likely to just be a three game ban (which a red card at the time would have brought) rather than a potential bigger ban if the charge was contested.
I do, however, expect the second charge of improper conduct (for his celebration) to be contested ahead of the 30th September deadline.
The FA has announced Emmanuel Adebayor will face charges of violent conduct and improper conduct:
The Football Association today issued two charges against Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor following Saturday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester City and Arsenal.
Under the fast-track disciplinary process, Adebayor has been charged with violent conduct following an incident with Robin van Persie, which resulted in the Arsenal player receiving facial injuries.
Referee Mark Clattenburg has advised The FA that he did not see this incident, but has confirmed that had he done so, he would have sent Adebayor off for violent conduct. The player has until 6pm on Wednesday evening to respond to the charge.
Adebayor has also been charged with improper conduct following his actions when turning and running the full length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal supporters after scoring.
At the very least Adebayor will now face a three-game ban relating to the incident with van Persie, and my hunch would be an additional game for his actions following his goal. However it does appear that the improper conduct charge will not be heard this week.
Clearly an appeal will be launched - and we will have confirmation shortly no doubt - but it almost certainly means Adebayor will miss the next three games at least.
"I am sad and disappointed by my former team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor's mindless and malicious stamp on me during today's match. "We are both professional footballers and I know that the game is physical, I too have made hard and sometimes mis-timed challenges but never with the intention of hurting an opponent. He set out to hurt me today.
"I knew he was aiming for a collision because he changed the angle of his body to allow contact to be made. He moved backwards when his natural momentum would have taken him forward. I find that deeply disrespectful. He has shown a real lack of class today, to me and the fans.
"I do feel lucky that I have not suffered a greater injury. The contact was only centimetres from my eye. I have not received an apology from him, there were no words exchanged afterwards. He had his own agenda today and that is bad for football. It's bad for the game we all love.
"I want to make it clear that this has nothing to do with the result of today's match. We do not hide from that disappointment but I need to speak out about his behaviour."
What is remarkable about van Persie's comments are that they appeared (ie, were sanctioned) on the official Arsenal website, not an off the cuff or throwaway remark and not something I have seen previously.
A cliche perhaps, but only Adebayor knows the degree of intent that was involved in the incident but the footage is there to be able to make a reasonable judgement.
I deliberated waited until watching it again this morning before posting up, as watching it as live it did not appear malicious, and more a case of Adebayor catching van Persie as a result of his momentum from the tackle.
Seeing again on replay (and with the benefit of slow motion) that was clearly not the case.
There was a definite kick out by Adebayor at van Persie, and of course he made contact with him. Given the coverage the incident has garnered it is inevitable that the FA are going to take a further look at it.
Whilst he may escape further punishment regarding his goal celebration (as he was booked at the time), I don't think he escapes this - and neither should he. Sure he faced provocation from the Arsenal fans throughout the game but raking his studs (it wasn't a stamp) across van Persie's face isn't something that can be defended.
The huge worry of course is that he could well miss next weeks derby as a result of this, something that we can ill-afford given that Robinho and Tevez are already absent.
The signing of Emmanuel Adebayor was finally confirmed this afternoon - interestingly the clubs' twitter account leading the way in confirming he was heading to Manchester to sign.
Clearly Arsenal fans are glad to see the back of him, with us seemingly getting our hands on a player who by comparison made Nicolas Anelka a terrace hero. Arsene Wenger believes that it was these same fans who were in part responsible for him leaving:
'We have lost a great player and we wish him well. He's done extremely well for the club. I don't believe that last season he got enough support. That was playing a part in my mind and in his mind, certainly, as well."
Adebayor is not a dud though. His record is impressive and he is the 2008 African player of the year. He has the type of presence in attack Mark Hughes craves, and the attributes we were so lacking during 200/09. We have clearly not picked up the reincarnation of Lee Bradbury here.
I've written plenty before on Adebayor, and whilst it may not have been the most obvious signing, it is a good one. If you ask some basic questions about what he will bring it backs this out; Did we urgently need a striker? No. Will he score goals? Yes. Will he make us a better team? Yes. Does he add something different? Yes.
“Emmanuel has been one of the top forwards in the Premier League since he arrived from France and we are delighted he has agreed to come and join us. Along with the other signings we have made in the last two windows he will greatly enhance our ability to compete with the top sides. His arrival is another clear indication that we are determined to augment the players we have here with the best of international talent.”
“He adds vital balance and power to our attack. He has everything a top forward needs. He is versatile, powerful, quick and agile on the ball. I am looking forward to working with him as are the rest of the staff. He will definitely add a new dimension to our play. I have been a great admirer for a long time.”
Crucially, if we have designs on the top four then he weakens the side who are realistically the side we can overhaul. Despite the accusations levelled at him, Adebayor will not be easy to replace for Arsenal.
As to where he fits in to the side, it does allow a variety of options for Hughes but I suspect he will look for a three pronged attack with Adebayor in a central role supported by Robinho and Tevez coming inside.
After some doubts were reported this morning, this afternoon it is believed that Emmanuel Adebayor is heading to Manchester to undergo his medical ahead of completing his transfer from Arsenal. Adebayor was also absent from Arsenal's side for their friendly this afternoon.
Emmanuel Adebayor has asked for more time to mull over his proposed move from Arsenal to Manchster City, a transfer he fears could lead to strong criticisms of his motives in his native Togo. The striker's misgivings are such that City have been forced to delay plans for a medical while he considers their offer of a salary worth in excess of £150,000 a week.
Judging by the comments from Arsenal fans on here the past few days, news that the transfer may not progress could see a sharp increase in calls to the Samaritans. I would be surprised though if a Premiership footballer would be stalling over a move for fear of how he would be perceived by accepting a large hike to his wages. Or perhaps some do have a conscience after all.
In contrast with the article in The Guardian, according to The Mail, far from requesting further time to deliberate, the issue may well be to do with money with the club (perhaps sensing we are the only realistic bidders) imposing some sort of ceiling on what we are prepared to offer.
None of us are party to the inner workings or the machinations of transfer negotiations so whether there is a real issue between Adebayor and ourselves over wages, whether we are close to agreeing a deal or whether Adebayor is hoping our firm interest flushes out other interested parties into making a bid nobody knows.
What is clear is that Mark Hughes wants to sign him and Arsenal want rid, so if no other side does come forward we are certainly in a position of strength. Negotiations (including the work permit hearding) do seem to be at an advanced enough stage though to suggest Adebayor is receptive to moving so the smart money must still be on a deal ultimately being concluded.
I do agree with Jack though in that the move does have less of an appeal to it than that of the signing of Tevez (or indeed Barry), and should it fall through, we are still blessed with enough talent in attack.
But, given that the attack though have a better look to it with Adebayor involved, and with the continued pursuit of John Terry from Chelsea, have the club sensed that rather than the steady approach, that there is a real opportunity for Champions League qualification thsi forthcoming season?
Emmanuel Adebayor's move to Manchester City looks to be edging ever closer with the news he has been granted a work permit.
The Arsenal striker attended a hearing in Manchester on Tuesday and Sky Sports News sources can now reveal there have been no complications with what is a routine process.
I'm not sure why a transfer would require a new work permit, as if one was granted when he arrived at Arsenal I would have thought that would remain valid should he move clubs. However, as expected, it doesn't appear that there were any problems obtaining it.
Should the deal be concluded (an announced) shortly, we could even see him feature out in South Africa for the Vodacom Challenge over the next week.
Manchester City are on the verge of completing a deal to sign Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal, the Guardian understands. The two clubs have agreed a fee, believed to be closer to Arsenal's asking price of £25m than City's original offer of £20m, and the striker is in Manchester discussing terms on a five-year contract worth between £150,000-170,000 a week.
Given the pace that this has moved at, it may not be too much of a stretch to suggestion a deal could be completed by the end of today.
UPDATE:
During the Tevez press conference, Mark Hughes admitted that discussions were in progress over Adebayor and it was also reported that he was due to attend a work permit hearing.
The mornings press is dominated by news that we have bid for Emmanuele Adebayor, with The Independent, Telegraph and Mail all reporting bids of between £20-£25 million for the Arsenal forward.
It does appear that Arsenal would be in selling mood, and Adebayor will in all likelihood be keen - seeing his wages likely doubled less than a year after his previous 50% hike in salary. I knew Adebayor wasn't the most universally liked player at Arsenal, but the weight of opinion against him has been surprising since the story broke and I don't think it is a case of sour grapes after the event like we saw when Gareth Barry moved from Aston Villa. There really does appear to be a genuine dislike for Adebayor amongst Arsenal fans.
A player with character issues doesn't seem to be the most obvious choice for Mark Hughes, and given the anti-Anelka feeling that developed in certain sections of the City crowd, he may not be set to become a terrace idol anytime soon. Hughes, if nothing else though, is a combative type, and I'm sure would back himself to manager players deemed to be troublemakers.
I don't have a problem with the signing in terms of fitting him into the team either. My concern with Adebayor is that he does not seem a natural goalscorer, but his record is a decent one and if nothing else, we would have plenty of variety and options. Although there is no European competition this season, we really do need to carry four top forwards, and given that our options in attack for the large part last season were a choice of Robinho plus one of Evans, Caicedo, Sturridge or a returning Bojinov, it is clear we needed to seriously upgrade.
UPDATE:
The BBC are reporting that we are in negotiations with Arsenal, taking the early morning reports one step further.
Sky Sports News understands Manchester City have held talks with Arsenal over the possible signing of striker Emmanuel Adebayor.
Adebayor has been linked with a move away from Arsenal this summer, with a number of European clubs said to be interested in his services.
Sky Sports News' chief news reporter Bryan Swanson has been told talks between City and Arsenal are at the "early stages", with an initial fee discussed in the region of £20million, and no bid has yet been made.
It is funny how certain transfer reports can drag on and on, yet with others they can come to fruition relatively quickly before the press get a real hold on the story.
I'm always reticent to place too much emphasis on reports broken by Sky Sports, but it does sound as though there is something in this. It is a strange one though, as you wouldn't assume Adebayor would be tick the boxes for Mark Hughes. Talent wise, he can't been questioned and has a good record at Arsenal, but the reaction of Arsenal fans has been such that he isn't the most universally popular player.
If, as finally hoped, Tevez arrives this week, we are hardly short of options in attack so it isn't an obvious addition to the squad. For me, if we are adding in attack, preference would be for a real 'true' goalscorer.
I'm guessing this could potentially be a signing that really divides opinion.
