Really FA? Six-game ban for a murder attempt?!
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 07.03.25. | 23:05
Although many considered Millwall keeper Liam Roberts' tackle on Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta worthy of a "prison sentence," the custodian's "imprisonment" will last for only six matches
The entire football world was shocked and terrified after Millwall custodian Liam Roberts' horrendous tackle on Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta during last Saturday's FA Cup clash between the two sides. The Frenchman had to be taken off the pitch on a stretcher, getting a "souvenir," embodied in 25 stitches.
And while many were so horrified by the goalie's tackle that they claimed he deserved a "prison sentence," the FA's Independent Regulatory Commission's final verdict was preposterous and as merciful as possible - a six-match ban?! Moreover, the initial punishment had been a three-match suspension (?!), but following the FA's intervention, it was extended.
🚨🏴 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 | Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts given 6 match ban for the challenge on Mateta, reports @SkySports.
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 7, 2025
Roberts' statement: "I am devastated by what happened.... I have categorically never stepped onto a football pitch with the intention of hurting anyone." pic.twitter.com/sX2AqtEyuC
However, the impression is that the ban had to be much harsher. As sorry as Roberts was for everything that had happened - which he expressed in an official statement - he nearly "tore off Mateta's head," and the punishment should have been in accordance with that.
For instance, Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca got a nine-month suspension for a - truth be told - mild physical altercation with the ref, Benoit Millot. Players are people just like referees. Their lives, health, and well-being should come first, and any endangerment of the aforementioned features should be punished adequately.
