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Few who saw the replays of the incident between Liam Cooper and Reece Oxford will be surprised to learn that Cooper has now been served a six match ban by the Football Association.
The charge, as per their statement on their website, has now been proven.
Liam Cooper has been charged with alleged violent conduct following the Leeds United versus Reading game on Saturday [1 April 2017].
The player was involved in an incident in or around the 74th minute which was not seen by the match officials at the time but caught on video.
Furthermore, The FA has submitted a claim that the standard punishment that would otherwise apply for the misconduct committed by the Leeds defender is ‘clearly insufficient’.
He has until 6pm today [Tuesday 4 April 2017] to reply to the charge.
Off the ball incidents which are not seen at the time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite referees.
Each referee panel member will review the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they consider it a sending-off offence. For retrospective action to be taken, and an FA charge to follow, the decision of the panel must be unanimous.
So Cooper will be missing a fair chunk of Leeds' play-off push.
Following an Independent Regulatory Commission, Leeds United defender Liam Cooper to serve a six-match suspension:https://t.co/UamZgNyTJW
— The FA (@FA) April 5, 2017
It was a horrible incident and one which seemed totally avoidable by Cooper. The on-pitch officials did consult with each other in the aftermath of the offence but clearly neither saw it.
Oxford himself told the Reading Chronicle his feelings after the game.
“I thought it was a stamp. I couldn’t see it but it felt like someone just stood on my head.
“I didn’t see who it was to be fair but I’m going to go home and watch it to see what happened.
There was also a contentious moment between Tyler Blackett and Chris Wood in the same game, with Blackett's arm making contact with Wood's head, but it seems the FA have decided not to investigate that one.