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Page last updated at 12:09 GMT, Monday, 19 October 2009 13:09 UK

No Cardiff action on racism claim

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Jones keeps a lid on his feelings

Cardiff City will take no further action over allegations that a Crystal Palace player made a racist comment to striker Michael Chopra on Saturday.

A statement on the club's website said they now wished "to draw a line under this issue".

But football officials will now decide whether to investigate after receiving referee Steve Tanner's report.

Palace have described the allegation as "outrageous" and say they would welcome an inquiry by the football authorities.

Players from both sides had to be separated at the end of the 1-1 draw, but Cardiff's stance means the decision on whether to launch an inquiry rests with the Football Association and Football Association of Wales.

Cardiff's full statement read: "Following the publicity that surrounded comments that were allegedly directed towards our player Michael Chopra after last Saturday's match at the Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff City Football Club wish to draw a line under this issue."

But Palace also issued a statement in which they denied that any racist remark was made.

"Crystal Palace Football Club would welcome any FA inquiry into racist comments allegedly made by one of our players at Saturday's match against Cardiff City," read the statement.

"Crystal Palace is a multi-ethnic club and is proud of its history in this respect. We take great exception at the outrageous allegations being levied at us by Cardiff City players and management.

"We would like to make it known that we are 100% supportive in this matter of all of our players and definitive in our belief that none of them would make any racist comments.

"As a club we are fully behind the Kick Racism Out of Football campaign, as are all of our players."

However, Chopra's team-mate Jay Bothroyd said: "I wasn't there but I spoke to Chops and he said one of their boys made a racist comment to him.

We deserved victory, says Warnock

"That is obviously not acceptable in this game."

Cardiff boss Dave Jones would not be drawn on what happened at the end of the game, despite the claims surrounding Chopra, whose father is Indian.

"Something has been said, which I don't think is right," he told BBC Sport Wales.

"We will wait and see otherwise I will have their chairman [Simon Jordan] moaning at me saying it wasn't this and wasn't that.

"So I will get on with my job here and let the authorities deal with it if they deem it sufficient to do."

A Cardiff spokesman later told PA Sport: "As a club we utterly condemn any racist comments from anyone but in this particular case the referee [Steve Tanner] tells us he didn't see or hear anything."

The FAW would need evidence before taking action and a spokesman said: "We have to look at reports from the match officials and interested parties before any comment could be made."

Palace manager Neil Warnock played down the fracas and stated: "If any were punches were thrown they would probably have missed."

There is no love lost between Cardiff and Palace because last season there was controversy when the two sides met at Selhurst Park.

Cardiff defender Roger Johnson was left in hospital for two days after being caught in the throat by Claude Davis' elbow, an incident that was not spotted by the officials during the match.

Defender Davis was later found guilty of violent conduct by a Football Association regulatory commission and banned for three games.

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace

Highlights - Cardiff City 1-1 Crystal Palace (UK users only)



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see also
Cardiff 1-1 Crystal Palace
17 Oct 09 |  Championship
Davis guilty of violent conduct
17 Apr 09 |  Crystal Palace
BBC Sport Wales coverage
03 Oct 11 |  Wales


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