Off the hook

After weeks of feeling he was being tried in the media, Emre finally appeared before an FA Disciplinary Committee meeting today accused of using "racially-aggravated abusive and / or insulting words" during the match against Everton on 30th December - and subsequently walked free, the charge having been judged unproven.

Emre was supported in claiming his innocence not only by Glenn Roeder, Fat Fred, Russell Cushing, Kieron Dyer and Nicky Butt, but also by his national coach Fatih Terim and former Inter teammate Clarence Seedorf.

With a similar claim from Watford's Alhassan Bangura currently "under consideration" but unlikely to result in a charge being issued, Emre is hopefully almost free to get back to what he has done very well for much of the season: playing football.

Nevertheless, it was obvious from the footage from the Everton match that something he said to Joseph Yobo incensed both Tim Howard and Joleon Lescott. In certain quarters, doubt and suspicion has been cast on the verdict. Let's just hope that our fiery Turk has learned of the potential perils of giving vent to his anger and frustration - even if what came out at Goodison Park was, in Roeder's words, "unpleasant rather than racist". Let your feet do the talking, eh?