Newcastle midfielder Lee Bowyer has broken his silence on the incident which ultimately forced him out of Leeds United a year ago, insisting he is not a racist.
The 26-year-old was cleared of attacking Asian student Sarfraz Najeib outside a Leeds nightclub in January 2000 but the resulting implications - including being disciplined by his club - persuaded Bowyer his future lay outside Elland Road.
After a brief spell with West Ham last season Bowyer was snapped up by Sir Bobby Robson and is set to make his home Premier League debut at St James's Park in a crunch clash against Manchester United tomorrow. He has now decided he wants to put the record straight.
"I am no racist. I have never been and I never will be," he said.
"I thought it was best for me to keep quiet about what happened in the past and there were also legal implications and there was no reason for me to come forward and say anything.
"If people were inferring that I was a racist, well that's their opinion, but it was ludicrous really.
"I was brought up in a mixed community in London and all my friends and schoolboy pals were from different nationalities.
"All this has been going on for a long time now and I have not been in a position to back myself up if you like but now I want to put the record straight.
"I have always supported the Keep Racism out of Football campaign when I was at Charlton with my pal Carl Leaburn and at Leeds with Lucas Radebe.
"It is something I have always supported but people seem to forget that these days."
Bowyer, who has settled in well at Newcastle, added: "I got a great reception from the fans when I played my first home game in the friendly against Bayern Munich and I would love to get this again tomorrow against Manchester United.