FA bid to extend Millwall keeper ban to Stoke game as Daily Mail banished for coverage
The FA has submitted a bid to extend Liam Roberts' ban for more than three games following his high profile red card challenge on Jean-Phillipe Mateta in the FA Cup.
Millwall goalkeeper Roberts was dismissed by Michael Oliver following a VAR check at Crystal Palace early in Saturday's fifth round tie, which Palace went on to win 3-1. Roberts had raced out of his area to deal with a ball over the top and kicked high, leaving Mateta needing 25 stitches around his ear.
Palace chairman Steve Parish claimed the challenge "maybe even endangered Mateta's life" and the FA has suggested that an automatic three-match suspension is insufficient. Roberts missed Millwall's defeat to Bristol City on Tuesday night and cannot figure against Watford on Saturday or Leeds United next Wednesday.
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Alex Neil could then be without his keeper for a Championship game against Stoke City at the Den on April 5 if the penalty is increased.
A statement from the FA said: “The FA has submitted a claim seeking to increase Liam Roberts’ sanction following his sending off in the FA Cup tie between Millwall and Crystal Palace on Saturday, 1 March.
“The goalkeeper was sent off for serious foul play around the 6th minute. The FA claims that in the circumstances the standard punishment for this offence is clearly insufficient. Liam Roberts has until Thursday, 6 March, to provide a response.”
Millwall supporters applauded in the eighth minute of last night's game in a show of support for Roberts as the club denounced the coverage the incident has received.
A club spokesman told Southwark News: “Millwall Football Club acknowledges the FA’s statement and will continue to support Liam who has been subjected to horrendous online abuse since Saturday’s collision."
Former Stoke boss Neil said at full-time: “Liam has come out and tried to get the ball but he has mistimed it and got the lad. It’s no more than that. I completely disagree with that. He’s not intended to hurt the player. We wish Mateta the best. He’s caught him and deserves to be sent off. He hasn’t tried to hurt the player, it was five minutes into the game."
The Daily Mail claims it has been banned for its coverage of the incident.
They wrote: "It was after requesting to speak to Roberts, the 30-year-old who has not yet talked about the incident and who was criticised by Mail Sport columnist Chris Sutton on Monday's It’s All Kicking Off podcast, that we learned of our ban.
"Among the accusations directed at the Daily Mail was that we did not sufficiently report Palace’s supporters borrowing the ‘let him die’ chant to mock Millwall’s Camiel Neghli when he turned his ankle nearly 30 minutes after the Mateta incident.
"That was highlighted in both our Sunday match report as well as Monday’s comment piece, in which we wrote ‘two wrongs do not make a right’ while describing the away fans’ behaviour as ‘boorish’ and ‘beastly’ for singing it originally as Mateta lay seriously hurt with a head wound."
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