Calvin Andrew will be out of action for a very long time after being handed a 12-match ban by the Football Association.
That’s longer than Luis Suarez got for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, and twice as long as the six-game ban given to Mousa Dembélé for last season’s eye-gouging incident involving Diego Costa.
So, what did the Rochdale striker to do for the standard three-match ban to be deemed “clearly insufficient”?
He didn’t bite anyone, and his fingers weren’t in contact with an opponent’s eye, as far as we can tell.
But he was guilty of a very nasty elbow during Rochdale’s game against Oldham Athletic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aFiVd6BZX0
‘The player admitted his behaviour constituted violent conduct but denied the clearly insufficient element of the charge,’ a statement from the FA reads
‘However, this was found proven following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing on Thursday 3 November 2016.
The club have put out a statement of their own, in which they reiterate the comments made by the Football Association.
Andrew has scored three goals in 15 league appearances this season after signing a new deal with Rochdale over the summer, and set up Matt Lund’s winner in the Oldham game before the 77th-minute incident.
Depending on Rochdale’s progress in the FA Cup and EFL Trophy, he might not make his return until January next year.
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