Callum McManaman set to be banned for Haidara challenge
Last updated on .From the section Football
Wigan's Callum McManaman is expected to be banned for at least three matches for his challenge on Newcastle defender Massadio Haidara.
The Football Association is set to take retrospective action following the controversy in the Magpies' 2-1 loss to Wigan.
Referee Mark Halsey did not see the incident, paving the way for the FA's governance department to step in.
Haidara has suspected knee ligament damage after the studs-up challenge.
The 20-year-old, who joined from Nancy on a five-and-a-half-year deal in January, had been on the pitch for less than 10 minutes after replacing the injured Mathieu Debuchy.
McManaman, 21, who was making his first start in the Premier League, got a slight touch of the ball before following through and catching the defender on the knee and thigh.
The game was held up for five minutes while Frenchman Haidara received treatment on the pitch before he was carried off on a stretcher.
But Halsey did not award a free-kick for McManaman's tackle on Haidara.
"It was an awful tackle. I have got a boy going to hospital and that's a worse feeling than losing," said Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.
"It looks like knee ligaments and he's got terrible bruising on his leg as well.
"It looked a bad challenge but I didn't realise how bad until it filtered through to us from the sideline."
Pardew's frustration was compounded when Maynor Figueroa appeared to handle in the build-up to Arouna Kone's 90th-minute winner.
"It is almost injustice you feel," Pardew told BBC Sport.
"Your team-mate has got a terrible injury and the tackle is not punished. It's difficult - you want to get that extra bit, not retribution, but you want to win the game."
On Sunday Wigan boss Roberto Martinez said he was confident his striker would not receive a retrospective ban - which would rule him out of their Wembley FA Cup semi-final against Millwall - as a result of television evidence.
He said: "It is a contact sport and these things happen but there was never any intent.
"What you need to look at in those incidents is if there is intention, a nastiness about the tackle. We are not a nasty team.
"He [McManaman] has not a nasty bone and is not bad-intentioned.
"When you get the ball and then there is a follow-up it is very difficult for a panel to punish that."
The challenge sparked a half-time fracas with Magpies assistant John Carver trying to get to the Latics forward. Carver was sent off along with Wigan coach Graham Barrow.
"If the opposing player had a bad injury, as a club we will contact the player," added Martinez.
"I can guarantee that it is part of his enthusiasm and trying to fight for every ball. Maybe it's just a striker's tackle.
"I believe it is a bad challenge but it's not malicious."
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Every time I see it the lad looks guiltier sadly.....
Disgraceful tackle, absolutely incredible that neither the linesman or the ref gave anything. Whether there was intent is irrelevant - one lengthy suspension coming up.
How that can go unpunished and Bunn be sent off for Norwich is absurd, we need consistency in referees so players know where the line is.
Madness.
In my opinion, a player that plays his football at the highest level domestically....requires good technique, skill, timing, co ordination and awearness...and therefore you don't "Miss Time" a tackle that badly..!!
FA will ban the player retrospectivly anyways. But feel for Newcastle.
That tackle is potentially career ending.
Outrageous decision by the ref and it wasn't the only one of the game or the weekend.
As for the Martinez comments, I have lost all respect I have for the guy.
No, no, a thousand times no. I've personally got a lot of time for RM but he's dead wrong here. I don't blame him for defending his players, but intention should have nothing to do with it. Doesn't matter how 'nice' a guy you are, if your studs are up it's dangerous. Red.
Your remarks are totally irrelevant to this incident. Nothing you say can mitigate against what was potentially a career ending challenge. Why do football fans start saying 'what about him?' etc, etc.
How about sticking to this particular incident?
I'm not saying there was, as I'm not in his head, but neither is anyone else.
Only he knows his own intentions, but there appeared no contrition afterwards, which suggests that at best, he really didn't care.
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5 Minutes ago
Anyone else think Pardew is deflecting the media from his team's loss and poor standing in the league? I wonder if he would have banged on about it if they had won.
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Rubbish.
I'm not a Toon fan but one of their positives is that they are one of the most honest sides in the premiership, if they are wrong they take it on the chin and move on.
Bring in instant Video replays. Stop argueing with the ref. Stop the managers hassling the officials (Fergie at Sunderland),
Have the refs come on and do post match interviews instead of the players and managers.
So much of the badness of football could be put right over night. Easy - as!
A lengthy ban has to be handed down as a warning to others .
Intent ? or not, being so cavalier about the welfare of the other player in the force used going into the challenge where he was guaranteed to make contact with his studs up is callous!!!
Safety is paramount in most disciplines (sporting or otherwise). If you can't tackle safely (and that doesn't mean without controlled agression), you shouldn't be playing.