Papiss Cisse banned for seven matches after accepting spitting charge as FA wait on Jonny Evans after revolting incident during Manchester United win at Newcastle
- Jonny Evans appeared to spit at Papiss Cisse on Wednesday night
- Striker Cisse retaliated by aiming spit back at defender Evans
- Toon striker handed seven-game ban from after accepting the FA charge
- Evans has until 6pm Friday to respond to the same charge
- Referee Anthony Taylor missed the incident and neither player was booked
- Evans denied spitting at Cisse, whilst the Newcastle striker has apologised
- Manchester United won the game 1-0 thanks to Ashley Young's late goal
Papiss Cisse was banned for seven games for his part in the spitting storm that also involved Manchester United defender Jonny Evans.
Evans himself is facing a ban of six matches if found guilty after the Football Association charged both men.
The incident came during United’s 1-0 win at Newcastle on Wednesday night when the pair spat at each other following a first-half tangle.
Jonny Evans appears to launch spit in the direction of the floored Newcastle United striker
Papiss Cisse subsequently retaliates, and appears to aim spit of his own back at the Manchester United man
Evans (left) and Cisse clash near the half-way line at St James' Park following the unpleasant exchange
Both Newcastle striker Cisse, who admitted the charge, and Evans released statements on Thursday in which they disagreed on the intent behind the disgusting scenes.
Bizarrely, Evans claimed he was shocked by the allegations and protested his innocence. Cisse responded by apologising but said he was provoked when Evans spat at him.
Indeed, Sportsmail understands that Cisse is furious that the Northern Ireland international has not admitted his guilt, and is adamant the defender spat at his leg.
And Cisse will inform FA disciplinary chiefs that Evans intentionally spat at him when questioned about the incident.
Cisse has been banned for seven games after accepting the charge from the FA on Thursday
Having conceded he was wrong to react by spitting in Evans’s face, Cisse will be fined a week’s wages of around £40,000 by Newcastle, who will now be without their 11-goal top scorer until May.
FA rules were changed in the summer to bring them in line with FIFA guidelines which state a player found guilty of spitting at an opponent will be suspended for six games.
However, Cisse has already served a three-match ban for violent conduct this season after elbowing Everton’s Seamus Coleman and as a result will be hit with an additional one-game suspension. He will not return until the final three matches of the campaign.
Evans, meanwhile, could miss crucial Premier League fixtures against Spurs, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea should he be found guilty. But the 27-year-old will contest the charge, to which he must respond by 6pm on Friday evening.
The Senegalese striker points the finger at United defender Evans after the ugly incident
Evans’s statement read: ‘Having woken up this morning I am shocked to have seen the media coverage from last night’s match. I would like to make it clear that I did not spit at Papiss Cisse.
‘I was totally unaware of any spitting incident and had assumed that the issue at the time was with the challenge and his attempted retaliation to the tackle from the floor.
‘During the game Papiss Cisse and I spoke about the incident and it is clear by my reaction in the television footage that I was totally surprised by any suggestion of spitting.
‘It is not in my character or in my nature to spit at anybody nor is it something I have ever done or would ever do. It is certainly not something that I did last night.’
Tempers threaten to boil over as team-mates from Newcastle and United gather on the pitch
Cisse was banned for an extra man after beinf sent off for elbowing Everton's Seamus Coleman in December
Cisse responded less than an hour later by saying: ‘I have apologies to make to a lot of people today. Firstly to my team-mates and to our supporters, secondly to Jonny Evans, and thirdly to every football fan who saw the incident between myself and Jonny.
‘I reacted to something I found very unpleasant. Sometimes it is hard not to react, particularly in the heat of the moment. I have always tried hard to be a positive role model, especially for our young fans, and yesterday I let you down.
‘I hope children out there playing football for their clubs and schools this weekend will know better than to retaliate when they are angry. Perhaps when they see the problem it now causes me and my team they will be able to learn from my mistake, not copy it.’
