Sheffield United considering drastic steps after discovering latest FA punishment for Bristol City incident
Sheffield United considering drastic steps after discovering latest FA punishment for Bristol City incident
Sheffield United are considering some drastic steps to improve their disciplinary record after discovering the extent of their latest Football Association punishment this week. The Blades have had five charges proven guilty this season, with the latest coming in the dying stages of their 2-2 draw with Bristol City at Bramall Lane last month.
The game had a fiery end after City scored a late equaliser, before the Blades went up the other end and had three or four penalty appeals in quick succession waved away by the referee. After the first and arguably the strongest, when Cameron Pring bundled over United’s Harrison Burrows in the box, Blades skipper Jack Robinson became entangled with Jason Knight and saw yellow, along with Rob Dickie, after the melee that ensued.
The Blades were subsequently charged again with breaching the FA’s rule E20, which outlines a club's responsibility to ensure its players, coaches and others associated with the club refrain from improper conduct during matches, and admitted it without requesting a personal hearing.
In mitigation United admitted that their own player had instigated the melee and, according to the FA’s written reasons, accepted that the measures they had put in place to address on-field conduct “had not been successful given this latest charge.”
United also submitted that the “confrontation was at the lower end of the scale of seriousness,” but the FA commission was still minded to fine them in excess of £160,000, before their mitigation and guilty plea saw the latest punishment reduced to £120,000
That takes the season tally to more than £265,000 from FA fines but after last term, when the Blades so meekly surrendered their Premier League status, at least the Blades are battling together.
But they are not taking the matter of discipline lightly, either, with the written reasons revealing that United “accepted it has had a large number of FA Rule E20.1 charges, not just this season, but over recent years, and that this was not good enough. They accepted the steps the club had taken so far to address mass confrontations have not been sufficient.
“It was submitted that they are in the process of contacting the PGMOL with a view to specific training being delivered to players as to mass confrontations. They are also considering implementing changes to the club’s bonus scheme, so that individuals are liable for any involvement they may have in an incident which culminates in an FA charge. Any such change would come into effect next season.”
City were fined just £5,000 for their own involvement in the scenes, the standard penalty for a Championship club that admits a single breach of the FA’s Rule E20.