The Football Association (FA) has informed Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts that he may face a longer suspension following his serious foul on Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the FA indicated that the standard three-match ban for the incident is “clearly insufficient given the circumstances.”
The standard three-match suspension has already caused Roberts to miss the recent Championship match against Bristol City, as well as upcoming games against Watford and Leeds.
Roberts has been given until Thursday, March 6th to respond to the FA’s statement.
Millwall Football Club has responded with their own statement, acknowledging the FA’s position and expressing support for Liam Roberts, who they say has been subjected to significant online abuse following the incident.
The controversial collision occurred early in Millwall’s FA Cup match at Selhurst Park, the first South London derby against Crystal Palace since 2022.
As Mateta pursued a high ball into the penalty area, Millwall goalkeeper Roberts attempted to clear the ball, but in doing so, his foot made contact with Mateta’s head.
Mateta was immediately taken to the hospital for specialist treatment and received 25 stitches to his left ear.
Referee Michael Oliver initially did not call a foul but issued a red card to Roberts after reviewing the play on the VAR monitor.
The FA has now formally requested an extension to Roberts’ suspension.
Millwall fans showed support for their goalkeeper during Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Bristol City, with a minute’s applause in the eighth minute of the game.
This show of support followed criticism regarding some fans chanting abusive words towards Mateta as he received medical attention on the field on Saturday.
Millwall has defended Roberts in their statements, describing some media coverage and punditry as “unwarranted character assassination”.
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish, speaking on BBC One, described the challenge: “In all my time watching football, I have never witnessed a challenge quite like it. It’s the most reckless challenge I’ve ever seen on a football pitch, and Roberts needs to seriously reflect on his actions.”
However, Millwall manager Alex Neil defended Roberts after the match, stating that Roberts simply “misjudged the clearance and unfortunately caught the player.”
The timeline for Mateta’s return to play is currently unknown.
Marcus Bellamy