Wednesday 19th April 2000 : Eustace will not face FA charge

Scott Eustace will not have to face the FA as feared after events during Saturday's win at Cardiff City.

The U's defender was the subject of some concerted racial abuse during the match - along with Trevor Benjamin - but Eustace was accused by Cardiff fans of responding with more than the usual banter between players and opposing fans, and apparently had items thrown at him.

Cardiff chief executive David Temme was quoted in yesterday's Cambridge Evening News saying, "We don't condone any kind of racism in any way. But we feel the Cambridge player to a large extent brought it on himself by his lewd gestures to the supporters. We reported his conduct to the referee at the time, after the match, and now to the football authorities."

Roy McFarland was reluctant to comment yesterday, saying, "I don't want to say too much at the moment, because we haven't heard anything from Cardiff, and nothing was said to us after the match, which I find very surprising in view of this action now. Objects were thrown at Scott Eustace and I heard racial abuse. We brought it to the attention of the referee and told him we didn't want to make a big incident out of it. Now I'm waiting for contact from Cardiff."

Eustace has had some ups and downs in his year and a half at the Abbey. Since Christmas he has emerged as a dominant figure in the defence and was recently described as a 'colossus' by the manager, but he was fined £250 by the FA in August for remarks made to the referee after the match at Chesterfield, and last month he was fined two weeks' wages for what McFarland referred to as "unacceptable conduct" at the club's Sporting Dinner.

In last night's South Wales Echo, Temme was quoted saying, "We were disappointed that Scott Eustace found it necessary to try and incite the crowd by making lewd gestures. The incidents are clearly shown on camera and were reported to the referee at the time and after the match.

"A further report may be sent to the Football League. But whatever the provocation, Cardiff City as a club do not condone racism and will do everything we can to stamp it out. We will not tolerate such behaviour from spectators. We are at the forefront of the campaign against racism in football."

However it was reported today that following intervention from McFarland, Cardiff will not be reporting Eustace to the FA after all. McFarland apparently made contact with Temme after learning of City's intended course of action.

He explained to the CEN, "I spoke to their chief executive and reminded him about the objects thrown at Scott Eustace and the racial taunts and chants. He told me they were only considering reporting the incident, I got the impression it wouldn't be going any further, and that they are taking steps to clamp down on the racism."

The News report continues: In fact, Temme told the South Wales Press on Monday evening they had TV evidence of gestures to the crowd by Eustace and would definitely be reporting him. Today a Cardiff journalist commented: "After McFarland's call, City are back-pedalling like mad. They said they were satisfied he was 'going to have a word with Eustace'."

Also in the South Wales Echo, one fan who attended with two children said he would not be returning to Ninian Park, adding, "It was absolutely appalling. There were grown men making monkey noises and shouting obscenities."

Many Cardiff City supporters have apologised via the U's Net message board or Moosenet for the conduct of some of their fellow fans - whilst pointing out that Eustace's behaviour was irresponsible - and Cardiff chairman Steve Borley has come under pressure from City fans to deal with the people who racially abused the 24-year-old defender.

Borley, who has promised to make a statement on the Bluebirds web sites on Thursday, told the CEN, "I have not heard this sort of thing at Ninian Park for 20 years, and we will do all we can to stamp it out. Racial abuse is not acceptable."

Eustace misses the East Anglian derby at Colchester on Saturday through suspension for accumulating ten bookings, and the CEN reports that McFarland has arranged a practice match to see whether Ben Chenery or Marc Joseph is better suited to fill the gap. Joseph has been playing as an emergency left-back but now Clive Wilson is back in training the central defender may be moved back to his preferred position. But during Jason Kavanagh's injury Chenery did well when returning to the right-back position he held down last season, and has played at centre-half several times for the reserves this season.