FA will not appeal Alan Pardew decision by independent commission

The English Football Association will not appeal against the decision of an independent regulatory commission to hand Alan Pardew a three-game stadium ban followed by a four-match touchline suspension.

Newcastle United’s manager was widely seen as having received a fairly lenient punishment for his head-butt on Hull City’s Republic of Ireland international David Meyler during a Premier League game at the KC Stadium this month but the FA has accepted the panel’s reasoning. Although English football’s governing body could have attempted to have the ban extended on appeal it regards the matter as closed.

Although the commission considered subjecting Pardew to a five-match stadium exclusion order in addition to fining the 52-year-old more than the £60,000 it eventually settled for, it was swayed by a series of mitigating factors.

“In considering the sanction to be imposed, the commission considered initially a five-match stadium ban and a higher fine,” it said in a written statement released by the FA in order to explain the panel’s logic. But, based on the mitigation presented together with the action taken by both the club and Mr Pardew, the regulatory commission came to the conclusion that the sanction set out below was fair, reasonable and proportionate.”

Pardew, who served the first game of his stadium ban at Fulham last Saturday, was accompanied by legal counsel, club secretary Lee Charnley and Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers Association, at the hearing.

Already fined £100,000 by Newcastle, he accepted the charge but argued that he did not instigate the altercation with Meyler and intended him no physical harm.

Expressing his deep remorse for the incident he also indicated an intention to enrol on an executive leadership and management programme with the LMA in an effort to address his behaviour.

The commission, who took Pardew’s previous offences into account, viewed video footage of the incident and studied written reports from match officials. “The commission also considered the impact of this type of incident in football in general and could not escape from the fact that a vast number of people would have seen the incident on national and international television,” it said.

"Mr Pardew is a high-profile and very experienced manager at a high-profile and well-respected club in a high-profile league and where matches are watched worldwide. This is, on any view, a serious incident which has to be sanctioned accordingly, but at the same time proportionately."
Guardian Service