Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy escapes punishment for alleged 'Nazi salute'

Wayne Hennessy will face no sanctions from the Football Association after being pictured performing what appeared to be a Nazi salute in a photograph taken by German teammate Max Meyer following an FA Cup game.

Hennessy was pictured with his right hand raised aloft and his left hand appearing to mime Adolf Hitler's moustache during a team social event following the Premier League side's victory against Grimsby in January. The image was uploaded to Instagram by Crystal Palace's German midfielder Max Meyer and has since been deleted.

READ MORE: 'Any resemblance is purely coincidental': Goalkeeper Hennessey denies making Nazi salute in photo

The Welsh goalkeeper was subsequently charged by the Football Association but an independent regulatory committee failed to prove that Hennessy intended to perform the controversial salute.

The 32-year-old had stated that the resemblance to a Nazi salute was "absolutely coincidental".

Hennessy had previously elaborated on the image, saying that he "waved and shouted at the person taking the picture to get on with it" and had "put my hand over my mouth to make the sound carry."

"This was a genuinely innocent moment, which appeared to be something completely different when captured on camera," Hennessy further stated following the FA's decision on Friday.

"I want to state for the record that I abhor all forms of racism, fascism, anti-Semitism or discrimination of any kind."

In their charge against him, The FA said that the Hennessy's actions had constituted an 'aggravated breach' of its rules regarding abusive, insulting or improper behavior. They also said that the photograph had brought the game into disrepute.

"I believe Wayne and his people were there eight hours yesterday putting their case forward," Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson said following Friday's conclusion to the case.

"I'm very happy with the outcome because I always believed him to be innocent."