Redknapp: Fans to blame for Ade reaction
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp says Arsenal's fans are to blame for Emmanuel Adebayor's exuberant goal celebaration for Manchester City last weekend.
The former Gunners' striker has been handed an improper conduct charge by the FA, after sprinting the full length of the Eastlands pitch to celebrate his goal directly in front of the travelling supporters.
However, Spurs supremo Redknapp has backed the under-fire Togolese target-man, insisting the striker had been subject of abuse from the visiting fans up until his 80th minute header.
"I've got no time for people kicking anybody or being violent on the football pitch and he was wrong to run the length of the field," he said.
"But it's very difficult when you're getting abuse throughout the game like he was.
"It's not celebrating a goal that cause riots, it's idiots who want to start riots. If I had been standing there and we had been giving him grief all game and he did that, I would probably say 'fair play'."
Redknapp is no stranger to fan abuse, having endured plenty of it after leaving Portsmouth for arch-rivals Southampton in 2004, before re-joining Pompey a year later.
While he stood on the Fratton Park sidelines in September 2008 as Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell was subjected to a barrage of hateful abuse from Tottenham Hotspur supporters.
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"Why do people need to shout abuse and cause riots?" he said.
"Why can't they just watch a game of football? I don't understand it. There's no need for it and there must be something wrong with you if you want to do that."
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.