Millwall have condemned the “character assassination” of Liam Roberts, as they await a possible extended ban for the goalkeeper’s challenge on Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The Championship club have pushed back against what they call “disgraceful suggestions” made against their keeper, following the high challenge that left Mateta with a head injury and led to Roberts being sent off five minutes into their FA Cup fifth-round tie on Saturday lunchtime.
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Mateta was discharged from hospital at the weekend with 25 stitches in his left ear and, after the match, the Crystal Palace chairman, Steve Parish, called the tackle “the most reckless challenge I’ve ever seen”. But Millwall have hit out against the widespread criticism directed at Roberts, and commentators who suggested the player set out to harm Mateta.
In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Millwall said: “The club are disgusted by abuse directed towards goalkeeper Liam Roberts following Saturday’s unfortunate collision with Jean-Philippe Mateta.
“The reporting on the matter, as well as disgraceful suggestions made by certain news organisations and high-profile figures within the sport that Liam intended to harm Jean-Philippe, has contributed to the unwarranted character assassination of Liam and fuelled abhorrent online abuse towards him.
“No player at Millwall Football Club steps on to the pitch with the intent to harm another, and the club will continue to support Liam, who reached out to Jean-Philippe personally on Saturday evening with an apology which was accepted immediately. The club are pleased to hear positive updates from Jean-Philippe and wish him the best in his recovery.”
Roberts is facing a three-match ban for his tackle, but the FA has the power to request an extended punishment by submitting a claim that the challenge was “truly exceptional” and the sanction “clearly insufficient”. The FA was in discussions on Monday over how to proceed, with any request needing to be formally made before a deadline of 1pm on Tuesday.
If the FA proceeds, its request will be heard subsequently by an independent tribunal, whose sole task would be to determine whether the punishment was insufficient compared to the offence. In the event that the FA’s claim was successful, the tribunal would then determine the nature of any revised punishment. If the claim failed, Roberts would serve his original ban.
