Sport 28-10-2003 FA Charged Over Tunnel Brawl who: The FA what: Faces £50,000 fine over failure to control England players where: Istanbul when: Saturday, October 11th snippet: "The Football Association are facing UEFA charges for the third time in the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign," says The Telegraph today, "following the shameful scenes in the players` tunnel during England`s match in Turkey this month." "Players were shown on TV trying to get at each other after tempers reached boiling point," says The Sun`s Pat Sheehan. It began on the pitch at the Saracoglu Stadium when Alpay Ozalan teased David Beckham for missing a penalty. Beckham alleges that the former Aston Villa defender made an abusive comment about his mother and the two players were subsequently called to a private meeting with Italian referee Pierluigi Collina during the break, who successfully cooled their boots. The players themselves will not be charged because UEFA concluded there was insufficient evidence. "Emile Heskey will be particularly relieved," says The Times, "because, as the television pictures vividly showed, he was in the thick of the scuffle and feared a suspension from the start of the European Championship finals in Portugal next summer. Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and David James were also caught on camera." [... more]

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