Sheffield Wednesday figure fined £1,200 and slapped with ban after 'enflaming confrontation' v Watford
A key member of Sheffield Wednesday’s coaching team has received a hefty fine and a one-match touchline ban for his role in a coming-together with a Watford counterpart earlier this month.
Owls first team coach Craig Mudd was shown a red card by referee Elliot Bell after members of both benches became embroiled in a confrontation just after the hour mark of Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with the Hornets on March 10. Watford assistant Karim Belhocine was also sent off. The incident was sparked by a Jaden Heskey tackle just in front of the technical areas.
With the pair having been charged by the FA in the days after the incident for a breach of FA rule E3.1, which relates to bringing the game into disrepute. The case was heard by an independent regulatory commission panel on the basis that ‘particular facts of the alleged misconduct were of a serious and/or unusual nature.’ The findings have imposed one-match touchline bans and £1,200 fines on both coaches.
A ‘written reasons’ report shows that referee Bell did not personally witness the incident but in an ‘extraordinary incident report’ he wrote: “In the 62nd minute following a caution in front of the technical areas, Mr Mudd and Mr Belhocine became physically aggressive with each other and on the advice of the 4th official were both dismissed from the technical area.”
Fourth official Andrew Kitchen provided a statement that reads in part: “I witnessed Craig Mudd move from behind me, at the back of the technical area, to just outside the front of the Sheffield Wednesday FC technical area, and confront a member of staff from the Watford FC technical area, pointing towards him in a manner which appeared to be aggressive.”
It is later stated that Belhocine was seen “moving his body into Mr Mudd’s personal space in a provocative and aggressive manner, and moving his head towards Mr Mudd, although I do not believe that any contact was made with the head. Both made physical contact with one another.”
Mudd accepted he had done wrong and accepted the FA charge at the ‘earliest opportunity’. His witness statement notes the head movement of Belhocine and states: “Whilst my natural reaction at this point was to stand my ground, I did not initiate any aggressive behaviour towards Mr Belhocine. I did not use any threatening or abusive language or demonstrate any signs of physical violence.”
It continues: “The subsequent movement by me back towards Mr Belhocine was as a direct result of one of the Club’s own staff members pushing me in the back. This was not an aggressive act - the staff member was trying to prevent me from treading on an injured WFC player who unbeknownst to me was lying on the ground behind me. This can be seen clearly on the video evidence.”
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Watford boss Edward Still claimed he had been ‘shocked’ by ‘four or five people charging’ at him. Owls boss Henrik Pedersen said in contrast: “I only saw a sliding tackle. It was a good one. We ask the boys to put everything in and it was to the limit. The fight was after and one thing we promise each other is that if one of us is going to be hurt, you all stand up. How the boys stood up for one another, I have big respect for this.”
A 2024 misconduct charge proven on Mudd while he was assistant coach of Manchester City cost him £400 but was seen to be irrelevant to the case given its ‘entirely different’ nature. It was also noted that Mudd’s disciplinary record aside from that case was ‘impeccable’. The decision can be appealed.