Millwall have issued a strong statement in support of Liam Roberts following his red card during the FA Cup defeat against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
The 30-year-old was sent off after just eight minutes in the clash with their local rivals. He was shown his marching orders when he attempted to clear the ball outside of his box, instead kicking Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta in the head. The attacker needed lengthy treatment which eventually led to him being given oxygen on the pitch and taken to hospital, where he received several stitches.
News emerged earlier that the FA were considering launching an appeal to extend Roberts’ incoming ban. The shot stopper has been awarded the standard three-game suspension for a straight red card.
Millwall Condemn ‘Abhorrent Online Abuse’
The former Northampton Town goalkeeper has been in the spotlight since his dismissal. It is an incident which has sparked widespread attention, with television personality Piers Morgan branding the challenge an assault.
Earlier this afternoon, Millwall released a statement defending their player whilst also revealing he had apologised to Mateta on Saturday evening:
“The club are disgusted by abuse directed towards goalkeeper Liam Roberts following Saturday’s unfortunate collision with Jean-Philippe Mateta.
“The reporting on the matter, as well as disgraceful suggestions made by certain news organisations and high-profile figures within the sport that Liam intended to harm Jean-Philippe, has contributed to the unwarranted character assassination of Liam and fuelled abhorrent online abuse towards him.
“No player at Millwall Football Club steps on to the pitch with the intent to harm another, and the club will continue to support Liam, who reached out to Jean-Philippe personally on Saturday evening with an apology which was accepted immediately.
“The club are pleased to hear positive updates from Jean-Philippe and wish him the best in his recovery.”
Writer’s View
As is common place in the world of social media, there have been some rather outlandish remarks directed at Liam Roberts. It is highly unlikely that he went into that challenge with the sole purpose of inflicting a major injury on another professional and to suggest otherwise is lunacy. Nobody at Millwall is denying that the tackle was a horrendous one but it has no doubt garnered extra attention because it was broadcast live on the BBC. Roberts will learn from this but he should not be subjected to the kind of abuse that has been thrown his way.
