Liam Roberts may not have sprinted out of his box to claim Jean-Philippe Mateta’s head and the ball, but motive does not matter. Millwall’s goalkeeper put himself in a position to cause serious harm and he did so.
It was a challenge so reckless, it left Crystal Palace’s striker requiring 25 stitches and reading the evening menu of London’s St George’s Hospital.
Mateta has since been discharged and, though he is likely to miss several matches — starting with the visit of Ipswich on Saturday — it could have been much worse. Fatal, if you believe the Premier League club’s chairman Steve Parish.
The FA now have a decision to make on whether Roberts should be slapped with a suspension longer than the standard three games for violent conduct.
As of yesterday, they had not made up their mind as to the 30-year-old’s challenge meeting the ‘truly exceptional’ threshold. They have until 1 pm tomorrow to submit a claim of ‘clearly insufficient’ punishment and, if they do, a regulatory commission would hear the case.
Judging by the comments of Millwall manager Alex Neil, Roberts’ club will fight their corner if it comes to that.
It was a challenge so reckless, it left Crystal Palace’s striker requiring 25 stitches and reading the evening menu of London’s St George’s Hospital.
Mateta has since been discharged and, though he is likely to miss several matches — starting with the visit of Ipswich on Saturday — it could have been much worse. Fatal, if you believe the Premier League club’s chairman Steve Parish.
The FA now have a decision to make on whether Roberts should be slapped with a suspension longer than the standard three games for violent conduct.
As of yesterday, they had not made up their mind as to the 30-year-old’s challenge meeting the ‘truly exceptional’ threshold. They have until 1 pm tomorrow to submit a claim of ‘clearly insufficient’ punishment and, if they do, a regulatory commission would hear the case.
Judging by the comments of Millwall manager Alex Neil, Roberts’ club will fight their corner if it comes to that.
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