The Suspension Tightrope – Gameweek 28

Three players tumbled off the Suspension Tightrope in Gameweek 28’s midweek fixtures, having picked up their 10^th yellows of the campaign. Alan Hutton, Gareth Barry and Lee Cattermole will sit out their side’s next two matches as a result.

Hutton will be sidelined for the Villains’ FA cup quarter-final clash against the Baggies this weekend and the Gameweek 29 trip to Sunderland. Barry misses Everton’s home tie against Newcastle and a visit to Loftus Road, while Cattermole sits in the stands as the Black Cats welcome Aston Villa to the Stadium of Light and travel to West Ham in their next two.

On April 12, the requisite number of cumulative yellows that warrants a ban will increase to 15. Until that date, players resting on nine yellows will have to time their tackles to perfection. Swansea’s Neil Taylor and Stoke’s Phil Bardsley were joined by Cesc Fabregas, Ciaran Clark and Seb Larsson in the precarious nine club this week. Fabregas’ 30.1% ownership will doubtless be wincing each time the Spanish playmaker attempts a challenge in Chelsea’s next four ties (SOU, hul, STO, qpr) before the cut-off date.

With regards to players currently serving suspensions, Joey Barton and Mile Jedinak sat out the first of their respective three and four-match bans for violent conduct. The QPR midfielder misses further encounters with Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, while the Eagles captain won’t be available until Gameweek 32.

In terms of those back in contention, Glenn Murray returns for Palace after serving his one-match ban during their 1-0 defeat to Southampton. In addition, Nemanja Matic, Jack Colback and Morgan Amalfitano also fulfilled their obligations, with the former expected to be fit for the Blues’ next league encounter, despite picking up a minor injury during his Capital One Cup celebrations. Adam Johnson, meanwhile, has been suspended by Sunderland pending the results of a police investigation into off-field allegations.

Although not cautioned during the match, Jonny Evans and Papiss Cisse could face lengthy suspensions after appearing to spit at each other during Manchester United’s visit to St James’ Park. The FIFA rules stipulate that any player guilty of spitting at an opponent should sit out his club’s next six matches in all competitions. Reports in the local press suggest that Cisse could be facing a seven-match ban if found guilty, given that he has already been suspended for violent conduct earlier in the season.

Discussing the matter with the Newcastle website, Cisse has acknowledged his part in the incident as he awaits an announcement from the FA:

”I have apologies to make to a lot of people today. Firstly to my teammates and to our supporters, secondly to Jonny Evans, and thirdly to every football fan who saw the incident between myself and Jonny. I reacted to something I found very unpleasant. Sometimes it is hard not to react, particularly in the heat of the moment.”

Evans, however, released a statement on the United website vehemently denying the accusations, going on to say:

“Having woken up this morning I am shocked to have seen the media coverage from last night’s match. I would like to make it clear that I did not spit at Papiss Cisse. I was totally unaware of any spitting incident and had assumed that the issue at the time was with the challenge and his attempted retaliation to the tackle from the floor. During the game Papiss Cisse and I spoke about the incident and it is clear by my reaction in the television footage that I was totally surprised by any suggestion of spitting. It is not in my character or in my nature to spit at anybody nor is it something I have ever done or would ever do. It is certainly not something that I did last night.”