The Newcastle midfielder claims cultural differences are behind his alleged abuse of Everton players. But reading between the lines, it looks as though he DID say those words in the course of the match, and that could be the end of his Newcastle career.Emre In Deep Water!
The Newcastle midfielder claims cultural differences are behind his alleged abuse of Everton players. But reading between the lines, it looks as though he DID say those words in the course of the match, and that could be the end of his Newcastle career.We touched on this last week, because Emre has already said he would quit the club if he was found guilty. The Turky international is set for a personal hearing at the Football Association, but the media are already making a major issue over alleged racist comments on the TV show "Big Brother". And now is hardly the time for Emre to come up with the defence "it's ok to say it in Turkey".
Emre: "I'm not racist. Because of my religion, I'm against racism. I gave my defence to the federation about this case, but I don't know whether I will get a ban.
"My best friend is Obafemi. He's also my room-mate, so how can anyone call me a racist? It's normal to say words like 'black' or 'negro' in Turkey but, when you say this in England, it's misunderstood.
"Newcastle offered me a contract, even if I get a ban.
"I want to stay but, if I feel that everything is against me, I may have to think about my situation in England. I have had great support from the Prime Minister of Turkey."
Ex-Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson called a player a "nigger" on TV, and spent a lot of time out of the game because of it ... and rightly so!