Mikel banned, fined for confronting Clattenburg

Posted by admin Headlines, Soccer, Sports Friday, December 7th, 2012

Mikel Obi has been hit with a three-match ban and fined £60,000 for his part in the Mark Clattenburg race row debacle.

The Chelsea midfielder ran into the referee’s dressing room at the end of Chelsea’s defeat against Manchester United in October and confronted him over an alleged racial slur.

Mikel had already admitted a charge that he confronted referee Mark Clattenburg in the official’s changing room after the game before Thursday’s personal hearing.

The suspension will take effect immediately and rule Mikel out of domestic duty until Boxing Day.

“Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel has been given a three-match suspension to begin with immediate effect and fined £60,000 following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today (Thursday 6 December 2012),” an FA statement read.

“Mikel had requested a personal hearing after admitting an FA charge of using threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour.

“The breach of FA Rule E3 was in relation to an incident which occurred in the match official’s changing room at the end of Chelsea’s fixture against Manchester United on 28 October 2012.

A police investigation into the incident collapsed because of a lack of evidence and subsequently an FA probe met the same fate.

The regulatory commission’s independent chairman, Christopher Quinlan QC, said the findings showed at the time of the incident Mikel genuinely believed the referee had racially abused him.

“But for that factor the suspension would have been significantly longer,” the FA said in a statement.

New Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez might have been preparing for the bad news by selecting Oriol Romeu ahead of Mikel on Tuesday night.

The Spaniard has started twice under his stewardship and is regaining match fitness after a long period of inactivity.

David Luiz was also played in defensive midfield in the latter parts of the Champions League match against Danish opponents Nordsjaelland.

Mikel signed a new five-year contract at the club on Tuesday. The 25-year-old midfielder committed his future to the European champions until 2017 — which will see him complete a total of 11 years at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel, who joined Chelsea in the summer of 2006 after controversially pulling out of a move to Manchester United, said, “Chelsea seems like my home now because I have been here for over six years and I enjoy my time here.”

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