Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts has been banned for six matches after receiving a red card for a foul on Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta during an FA Cup match. Mateta required 25 stitches to his ear. Roberts accepted the punishment and expressed remorse, stating he never intended to injure Mateta. The FA deemed the initial three-match ban insufficient and appealed for a longer suspension. A challenging week led Roberts to address the negative backlash and threats directed at him and his family, assuring support from those in the football community.
Roberts said he accepted unequivocally the red card as awarded and accept my punishment and reiterated his apologies to the Crystal Palace striker, describing himself as devastated by the incident.
The FA said on Wednesday it felt a standard three-match ban for serious foul play was clearly insufficient punishment and asked an independent regulatory commission to intervene.
Roberts spoke of a really difficult week for all concerned, including my family and I and said: It has been extremely unpleasant to observe suggestions that I intended to harm a fellow professional.
He confirmed he had reached out to Mateta in the evening after the match: I was thankful to hear back from him that he was OK and reassured me not to worry.
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