Police take Adebayor to task for fans' mêlée

Officers believe City star's antics sparked the missiles which knocked out steward

Senior police officers have taken a dim view of Emmanuel Adebayor's behaviour in Manchester City's 4-2 win over Arsenal on Saturday, which led to a steward at the game being knocked unconscious by a missile thrown in the mêlée following the striker's celebration in front of his former club's fans.

Adebayor's possible three-game ban for violent conduct, for what appeared to be a stamp at a prone Robin van Persie, could be increased by a further one or two games for his charge upfield to celebrate and Greater Manchester Police believe Adebayor must take some some responsibility for the steward being hit on the head and rendered unconscious for five minutes. Adebayor had "caused the opposition fans to be aggravated," said a police spokeswoman yesterday. "There was a crowd surge. Arsenal fans were throwing the missiles but it is a Manchester City player who was doing the celebrating."

The force said it is for Arsenal, Manchester City and the Football Association to decide how to deal with the repercussions and there appear to be no plans for officers to speak to Adebayor. The FA will receive the report of the referee, Mark Clattenburg, today and video evidence which will enable them to assess the apparent 71st-minute stamp which left Van Persie with a cut to the right side of his face.

Such was the Arsenal striker's indignation that he decided on the coach on the way to their flight out of Manchester to put out the extraordinary statement on the club's website which castigated Adebayor for his "mindless and malicious stamp," as he described it.

Under the FA's fast-track procedures for cases of violent conduct, a ban for Adebayor could come as early as today and would see him miss Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford. A further ban for improper conduct, for his charge up the pitch, would come later. It could be commuted to take the form of a fine instead.

Adebayor would be sorely missed by City, for whom he has been a consistent match-winner with four goals in as many Premier League games, especially in the light of manager Mark Hughes' revelation on Saturday that Robinho has been diagnosed with a stress fracture above the ankle and will miss the next four weeks. Carlos Tevez's tweaked knee ligaments also leave him looking doubtful for the Old Trafford match, which has assumed even more significance following a win on Saturday that leaves City third and level on points with United, having played a game less.

The FA chief executive, Ian Watmore, made no secret of his feelings about Adebayor's behaviour, despite the verbal provocation the Togolese encountered from his old club's fans and the niggling kicks aimed at him throughout the game, including a wild two-footed challenge from Van Persie seconds before the perceived stamp.

"I was pretty unimpressed really because the problem between Arsenal fans and Adebayor is well documented," Watmore said yesterday. "He ran the whole length of the field to celebrate, so we will have a good close look at that one ... in the cold light of day." Watmore was not asked in a BBC interview about the likely penalty for the Van Persie incident.

City have still not denied that Tevez's transfer fee might have been at least £39m, breaking the British transfer record, though the player's representatives said a £47m figure reported at the weekend was "inaccurate". The representatives said they could not divulge the precise figure because of a confidentiality agreement with City – though the sum due to investment companies headed by Kia Joorabchian is payable in several instalments.