FA would be wrong to punish the QPR players, says Taarabt

As a Football Association disciplinary panel begins its deliberations on the Alejandro Faurlin case, Adel Taarabt, the Queen's Park Rangers captain, is insisting that it would be wrong for the players to suffer as a result of any punishment.

Rangers, who secured promotion to the Premier League on Saturday, face seven charges relating to alleged breaches of rules on third-party ownership of players when they signed Faurlin. A verdict, which could include a points deduction, is expected on Friday.

"We have done the job on the pitch so we deserve to be where we are – we didn't cheat or do anything wrong," Taarabt said yesterday. "Every game we play 11 against 11 and we win games on the pitch. We don't do anything else."

Taarabt said Faurlin had not allowed the controversy to affect his game. "The first few days he was a little bit worried because he may have thought the lads would blame him, but we told him it was not his fault," Taarabt said.

"He has been brilliant all season and he deserves to be in the Premier League."

Rangers' captain believes the team could make an impact in the top flight under Neil Warnock. "I know with this manager they can achieve something," he said. "He has been great. My season is a lot to do with him, because he has given me 100 per cent belief and trust. Even if I don't play well for one or two games he still plays me. In football you have to meet somebody who gives you a chance. For me that person is Neil."

Taarabt has been a key figure for Rangers, but he said: "One player will never win you the game. It's about the team, the squad and everyone at the club. Of course I score goals, which is a nice job. This is why people talk about me. But we have to give the credit to the team."

Playing in the Premier League would give Taarabt the chance to face his former club Tottenham Hotspur, but he does not feel he has anything to prove. "I was 17 when I went there, now I am only 21. But of course I'm very happy when people say: 'Why did Spurs let him go?' I don't think about Spurs now, I only think about QPR. I enjoy it here."

Nevertheless, there has been speculation about Taarabt's future. "We have all summer and after that I will see with the manager, see what they want to do," he said.

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