Fulham right-back Sascha Riether has accepted a charge of violent conduct for stamping on Manchester United’s Adnan Januzaj.
The incident occurred towards the end of Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at home to United, but was not seen by the referee Lee Probert or his assistants.
However, Riether has not escaped punishment, becoming the first player to be charged by the Football Association under a new pilot scheme where a panel of three former referees reviews video evidence of incidents not seen by match officials.
The German defender had until 6pm on Tuesday to respond to the charge but Riether will now serve a three-match ban after accepting a charge of violent conduct, and he has apologised to Januzaj via his Twitter account.
“I want to say I am sorry to Adnan Januzai,” he said. “It was very unlike me and I can only say that frustration got the better of me. I also want to apologise to my teammates, fans and everyone at the Club, for the ban incurred following Saturday’s match.
“I will accept the consequences of my actions, and hope to put it behind me when I return. I want the fans to know that I will be working hard to stay fit and will be ready to continue fighting for the Club as soon as I am able.”
There were reports that Riether could escape punishment for the incident thanks to a precedent set when Chelsea’s Fernando Torres avoided punishment for scratching Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen’s face. It is understood Fulham had looked into such a loophole, but chose not to appeal the sanction.
Riether will miss trips to Liverpool and West Ham and the home game against Swansea.
