ARSENAL RELIEVED AFTER PETIT VERDICT
ARSENAL midfielder Emmanuel Petit escaped a ban for making an obscene gesture to the Aston Villa crowd last month - being fined £5,000 by the FA for his actions.
The French international was caught on camera gesticulating at the Villa fans, but Petit claimed this was done in reaction to racist abuse and the FA disciplinary committee took this into account when deciding the World Cup winner`s punishment.
The FA decision means The Gunners` schemer is free to participate in the most crucial period of Arsenal`s season, as they chase a Champions League place in both the Premiership and the Uefa Cup.
"The commission took into account the level of abuse he faced and, as a result of this hearing, and indeed other incidents brought to our attention this season, we are compiling a report to send to the Association of Chief Police Officers, asking them to take stronger action against fans who abuse players either racially or on the grounds of their nationality,`` FA spokesman Steve Double said.
``We feel that we have played our part in clamping down on players` behaviour this season - now we would like the police and stewards to in turn clampdown on fans, some of whom seem to think it`s acceptable to scream abuse at players purely because of the colour of their skin or the country they come from.
``The number of foreign players in the Premier League add substantially to the glamour of the game but they are also subjected to increasingly intolerable abuse.
``We expect players not to react and to turn the other cheek, but now we`re asking for an improvement from a small minority of fans.``
Earlier at Lancaster Gate on Wednesday, Portsmouth`s Steve Claridge was fined £900 for gambling on his side to beat Barnsley back in January.
