Aleksandar Mitrovic’s Football Association disciplinary hearing that will decide the length of his ban following his sending off in the FA Cup quarter final at Manchester United a fortnight ago will take place on Monday, according to the Athletic.
The game’s governing body are under serious pressure from the refereeing community to hand Mitrovic a lengthy ban after the Serbian striker placed his hands on referee Chris Kavanagh after the official awarded United a penalty with Fulham a goal to the good at Old Trafford. Mitrovic’s fury was sparked by the referee’s failure to award Fulham a spot-kick earlier in the proceedings for a push by Luke Shaw, but the Serbian striker has since apologised personally to Kavanagh for his loss of control.
Mitrovic’s statement – released publicly by Fulham earlier this week – revealed that the forward had accepted a three-match ban and a fine from his club, but the Football Association’s charges detailed that the game’s governing body believe the standard sanction for the striker’s record card will not provide sufficient punishment for his ill-discipline. The former Newcastle United striker is likely to point to contrition in his defence and the fact that this is first dismissal in five and a half years with Fulham, but both the player and club are braced for losing the services of their talisman for much of the remainder of this season.
Fulham’s legal team have compiled a dossier of incidents involving high-profile players, including Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, where their own contact with the referee went unpunished either on the field or subsequently. Mitrovic is believed to be unhappy at being made a scapegoat for his own actions when others have not faced the same furore. The Fulham number nine will sit out tomorrow’s trip to Bournemouth, but head coach Marco Silva will be able to conduct affairs from the touchline after requesting a personal hearing in respect of his own charges following the Old Trafford clash.
The sensible thing to do would be for the FA to issue Mitrovic the same ban as other players have received I.e. nothing AND then draw a line in the sand and say from now on these are the rules and bans and let everyone know they will be implemented fully. To just start with Mitro now is clearly unfair.
To charge him with foul and abusive language and let Maguire off in the same game and Henderson off a week later, when the evidence is 100% clear, is nothing more than blatant bias. There can be no justification with charging Mitro for foul and abusive language and ignoring the 2 senior England internationals for clearly abusing officials with foul language.
The FA has got itself into a complete mess here.
Presumably these are amongst the things that will be said on Monday. Principally the need for proportionality by making reference to the many other not too dissimilar incidents not punished. Making Mitrovich a scapegoat is not the way the FA should handle issues of behaviour towards referees.
I assume we’ll have legal representation and that there are appeal possibilities if not within the process then by High Court action for natural justice and/or restraint of trade.
Sensible comments, but hands up those who have faith in the FA to do the right thing…
Refs need protection from thugs. 10 match ban minimum.
Bill wilson is it deemed thuggish to hold someone’s arm?
Robin – cant see many hands and BW is a twat . Mitro is no thug
FULHAM FAN
The 2 hooligans, Mitrovic & Silva.
I want them out of our club, they have tarnished the good
name of FFC
^ month ban, the moment the season commences