Dec 06, 2012 11:48 PM EST
Chelsea News: Mikel Handed Three-Match Ban for Clattenburg Fiasco; Referees' Union Unhappy with Length of Suspension

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel was suspended for three games by the FA and handed a hefty fine for confronting Mark Clattenburg after the now infamous Chelsea vs Manchester United Premier League game.

Mikel barged into the referees' dressing room after the match on Oct. 28, accusing Clattenburg of racially abusing him during the game, a charge which was later thrown out.

"Chelsea's John Obi Mikel has been given a three-match suspension to begin with immediate effect and fined £60,000 ($96,000) following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today (Thursday Dec. 6, 2012)," the FA said in a statement.

"Mikel had requested a personal hearing after admitting an FA charge of using threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour.

"The breach of FA Rule E3 was in relation to an incident which occurred in the match official's changing room at the end of Chelsea's fixture against Manchester United on 28 October 2012.

"The Regulatory Commission's independent chairman Christopher Quinlan QC emphasised that the Independent Regulatory Commission accepted, as did The FA, that at the time he threatened the referee the player genuinely believed that the referee had racially abused him.

"But for that factor the suspension would have been significantly longer.

"Subsequently The FA investigated the allegation that the referee racially abused the player and found that there was not a case for him to answer."

Despite handing the ban, the referees' union, Prospect, has hit out at the decision, in what they believe has been too lenient.

"It is vital that officials were given real respect and this decision regrettably gave entirely the wrong message," Prospect said in a statement. "A player in parks football found guilty of behavior like Mikel's would have faced a long-term ban.

"For entering the referee's dressing room and threatening and intimidating the referee to the extent that he feared for his safety the penalty was no longer than had the player been sent off for serious foul play," national secretary Alan Leighton added.

"This did absolutely nothing to further the Respect campaign."

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