Vieira cleared of misconduct
Thursday, March 14, 2002
Article summary
Arsenal FC's Patrick Vieira has been cleared of misconduct following a hearing in London.
Article body
Arsenal FC's Patrick Vieira and Leeds United AFC duo Alan Smith and Mark Viduka have all been cleared of misconduct following disciplinary hearings in London.
Alleged elbow
Arsenal captain Vieira appeared in front of a Football Association (FA) disciplinary panel for allegedly elbowing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink during the 2-1 Boxing Day win over Chelsea FC.
'Cleaned up his act'
The France midfield player was found not guilty after the disciplinary commission accepted his explanation that he had tried to shrug off Hasselbaink and any contact was accidental. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who was present to defend Vieira, said: "Patrick has worked very hard this season to clean up his act."
Viduka charged
Leeds forward Viduka was charged after appearing to elbow Arsenal's Martin Keown in an FA Premiership encounter with Arsenal, while his team-mate Smith's charge related to an incident with Graeme Le Saux in an English League Cup match against Chelsea. Both players were cleared after the commission accepted that the incidents were "accidental collisions which occurred in the context of a physical contact game".
