Javier Mascherano continued to plead innocence yesterday over his controversial dismissal against Manchester United as the Football Association prepared to charge the Liverpool midfielder for his show of dissent at Old Trafford.
The FA is expected to charge the Argentina international with improper conduct today following his furious reaction to being sent off by the referee, Steve Bennett, on Sunday and his refusal to leave the field of play. The charge could bring an additional two-match ban for Mascherano, who is automatically suspended from this Sunday's Merseyside derby with Everton at Anfield, and may be fast-tracked to ensure the ban continues without interruption. That would suspend the £18.6m midfielder from Liverpool's league visit to Arsenal on April 5 and the following weekend's home game against Blackburn Rovers.
Mascherano is likely to request a personal hearing if charged by the FA as he believes he was more sinned against than sinning when questioning Bennett's decision to book Fernando Torres for dissent during Liverpool's 3-0 defeat. Though he has apologised to his team-mates, the Liverpool midfielder maintains he was dealt with harshly at Old Trafford.
Speaking from Egypt, where he is on international duty with Argentina, Mascherano insisted: "I do not know why I was sent off. I asked the referee what was happening. I did not swear, I was not aggressive and I did not confront him. All I did was ask him what was happening, nothing else. So when he showed me the second yellow card and sent me off I could not believe it. I am sorry to my team-mates because that meant we went down to 10 men and that made things even more difficult for us."
Torres, meanwhile, has reported for international duty with Spain despite suffering a rib injury during the United game. Liverpool have requested that the striker undergo a scan while in Spain should his discomfort continue.
The FA is expected to charge the Argentina international with improper conduct today following his furious reaction to being sent off by the referee, Steve Bennett, on Sunday and his refusal to leave the field of play. The charge could bring an additional two-match ban for Mascherano, who is automatically suspended from this Sunday's Merseyside derby with Everton at Anfield, and may be fast-tracked to ensure the ban continues without interruption. That would suspend the £18.6m midfielder from Liverpool's league visit to Arsenal on April 5 and the following weekend's home game against Blackburn Rovers.
Mascherano is likely to request a personal hearing if charged by the FA as he believes he was more sinned against than sinning when questioning Bennett's decision to book Fernando Torres for dissent during Liverpool's 3-0 defeat. Though he has apologised to his team-mates, the Liverpool midfielder maintains he was dealt with harshly at Old Trafford.
Speaking from Egypt, where he is on international duty with Argentina, Mascherano insisted: "I do not know why I was sent off. I asked the referee what was happening. I did not swear, I was not aggressive and I did not confront him. All I did was ask him what was happening, nothing else. So when he showed me the second yellow card and sent me off I could not believe it. I am sorry to my team-mates because that meant we went down to 10 men and that made things even more difficult for us."
Torres, meanwhile, has reported for international duty with Spain despite suffering a rib injury during the United game. Liverpool have requested that the striker undergo a scan while in Spain should his discomfort continue.
No comments:
Post a Comment