Fellaini and Huth charged by FA
Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini and Leicester City defender Robert Huth have both been charged with violent conduct after their clash during the sides’ 1-1 draw on Sunday at Old Trafford.
Television replays showed Huth grabbing the Belgian midfielder round the throat and pulling his hair in the 21st minute of the game while Fellaini retaliated to Huth’s actions with two swinging elbows, one of which grazed the German defender.
The incident was not seen by Michael Oliver at the time, which is why the FA have decided to take retrospective action against the pair and it will be reviewed by a three-man panel of former referees.
Both men have now formally been charged with ‘alleged acts of violent conduct’ and have until 6pm tomorrow to respond to the charge.
If Fellaini is indeed suspended for his part in the skirmish, he will miss United’s final three games of the current Premier League season while Huth will miss the final two games of Leicester’s season, plus the Community Shield to kick off next season, which the Foxes will be taking part in as Premier League champions.
The official FA statement reads:
Marouane Fellaini and Robert Huth have both been charged for alleged acts of violent conduct which were not seen by the match officials but caught on video.
The Manchester United midfielder and Leicester City defender were involved in an incident in the 21st minute of their game on Sunday [1 May 2016].
Both players have until 6pm on Wednesday 4 May 2016 to reply to their charge.
Off the ball incidents which are not seen at the time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite referees.
Each referee panel member will review the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they consider it a sending-off offence.
For retrospective action to be taken, and an FA charge to follow, the decision of the panel must be unanimous.