Jay Rodriguez has been cleared over his charge of racial abuse after an independent panel ruled Gaetan Bong's allegations were not proven.
The West Bromwich Albion striker had maintained his innocence throughout and received personal support from Alan Pardew during Wednesday's hearing at Wembley.
Rodriguez was accused of telling Bong 'you're black and you stink' during a row in a match between West Brom and Brighton on January 13. Rodriguez maintained he said 'your breath stinks'. He had pinched his nose and wafted his hand across his face to suggest a bad smell.
Rodriguez faced a five-match ban if found guilty of breaching FA rule E3, which concerns player behaviour and cites 'ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality' as aggravating factors.