Papiss Cisse Banned 7 Matches: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction
Papiss Cisse will serve a seven-match ban after he spat at Jonny Evans during Newcastle United's 1-0 loss to Manchester United on Wednesday.
Continue for updates.
Walters: Spitting 'Lowest of the Low'
Friday, Mar. 6
Stoke City forward Jonathan Walters believes spitting is among the worst acts a player can commit on the field. He spoke to talkSPORT (h/t Oliver Todd of the MailOnline):
"As a player you take anything off the ball; pinches and kicks that are meant to wind you up. Little things like that go on in any match. But spitting is pretty low. If it happened to me and someone spat at my face or towards me then I think he'd be eating his supper through a straw that night. I wouldn't be that happy. It's the lowest of the low.
"
Cisse's Seven-Match Ban Confirmed
Thursday, Mar. 5
Cisse's ban was confirmed on Thursday by Sky Sports News HQ:
The Magpies have confirmed that they have accepted the charge in a statement on their official website. In the passage, the club’s managing director Lee Charnley insists the player must front up for what he’s done:
"Both ourselves and Papiss agree that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable.
In life, when you do something wrong you have to front up, admit your mistakes and accept the punishment. Papiss was proactive this morning in making a full and heartfelt apology, which he did in advance of any notification from the FA regarding this charge.
This was something he felt strongly about and we fully support him in quickly accepting the charge.
"
The incident was caught on camera during the match, and as noted previously, the forward subsequently apologised for his behaviour. Here’s a look at what Cisse had to say in his apology and how Bleacher Report’s Stan Collymore thinks issues like this should be treated in the future:
Evans was also accused of spitting at his opponent, but he denied it in a statement on the Red Devils' official website (per the Press Association, via The Guardian). The United man was also charged by The FA, per BBC Sport.
After Cisse was levied with a suspension in December for violent conduct following a clash with Everton’s Seamus Coleman, the ban administered to him here was upgraded from six to seven games.
Here’s a look at the matches the 29-year-old will miss as a result of these sanctions:
For a Newcastle team currently languishing in midtable, their No. 9's absence shouldn't be too costly during the run-in.
Cisse’s apology seems sincere, and the red mist can occasionally descend in the heat of the moment, but spitting at an opponent is one of the foulest things a player can do on the field.
After two extremely unsavoury moments in the space of four months, hopefully Cisse learns from these incidents and steers clear of comparable controversies for the remainder of his career as a Newcastle player.
