Bowyer insists:'I am no racist'

The Newcastle midfielder Lee Bowyer has broken his silence on the incident which led to his departure from Leeds United a year ago by asserting that he is not a racist.

The 26-year-old was cleared of attacking the Asian student Sarfraz Najeib outside a Leeds nightclub in January 2000, but the effects of the case - which included being disciplined by his club - persuaded Bowyer that his future lay away from Elland Road.

After a brief spell with West Ham last season Bowyer was snapped up by Newcastle and is set to make his home Premiership debut at St James' Park in today's game against Manchester United.

"I am no racist," Bowyer said. "I have never been and I never will be. 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 has settled in well at Newcastle and he 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 against Manchester United."

Bowyer is also eager to improve his goal-scoring. He has scored goals throughout his career - netting 69 for Charlton and Leeds over the years - but has not hit the net since he struck for Leeds in a 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough last October.

That is a run he is desperate to bring to an end, and today's game would be the perfect opportunity. Having seen at close hand just exactly how Newcastle's captain, Alan Shearer, took his chances in the 2-2 draw at Leeds last Sunday, he is keeping a close eye on the 33-year-old in training.

"I'm looking to get 10 goals this season and I feel I am capable of doing that," he said.

"I've got to say, Alan Shearer is an unbelievable finisher. I've played and trained with some of the great strikers in my time, but I've never seen anybody finish like he does.

"How he does it, I don't know and I'm watching him closely to see if I can get a few tips."