Evra claims racial slur sparked fight

PATRICE EVRA is claiming that an alleged racist remark from a member of Chelsea’s ground-staff sparked the on-field brawl after Manchester United’s tempestuous defeat at Chelsea on Saturday.

United are facing a possible charge from the Football Association for failing to control their players after the melee which occurred shortly after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge. The FA have asked Chelsea to send them video footage and the club face a fine — likely to be in the region of £30,000 — if found guilty. The incident has not been included in the match report of referee Alan Wiley, so the FA’s disciplinary committee will make their own ruling after studying CCTV pictures.

Tempers flared after a group of United players — Evra, Paul Scholes, John O'Shea, Gerard Pique, Ji-Sung Park and Gary Neville — were ordered to stop using one of the goalmouths for their post-match exercises by groundsmen. The players, led by Neville, refused, prompting an angry confrontation which forced stewards — who had been receiving their post-match debrief in the stands — to intervene.