Barnsley Football Club News

• Nickname:The Tykes
• Founded:1887
• Manager:Keith Hill

• Ground:Oakwell
• Capacity:23,186

Tykes fuming over FA inaction

25 Nov 2008 - 15:57:41

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Barnsley have reacted angrily to the news that the FA have decided to take no further action against Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan over his clash with Iain Hume, which left the striker with a fractured skull.

Morgan caught Hume in the head with his elbow during the game at Oakwell on November 8, with the Canadian forward being hospitalised and requiring emergency surgery to deal with his serious head injury.

A statement from the Tykes read: "Barnsley Football Club is extremely disappointed and concerned that the FA has failed to take any action regarding the violent conduct of Chris Morgan, which left Iain Hume requiring emergency hospital treatment for a fractured skull and bleeding to the brain.

"The decision by the FA to disconnect a violent act from its consequences runs contrary to the principles of civil and criminal law.

"It reflects badly on football that the only action which the FA has thought fit to take was to charge Barnsley Football Club's manager with misconduct in relation to alleged verbal abuse towards a match official, while violent conduct has gone unpunished.

"The FA's failure to act has let Iain Hume down badly and the only option now remaining is for recourse outside of the normal football processes."

An FA spokesman had earlier confirmed: "When judging whether to take disciplinary action in this case, the FA has had to consider the challenge itself and not the outcome of it.

"The FA has been given express direction from FIFA that we cannot upgrade yellow cards to red.

"On this basis, we can only bring additional charges in the most exceptional cases and only if it can be proved beyond doubt that the actions of a player were a deliberate attempt to injure an opponent.

"Having reviewed all available evidence in this case, including submissions made by Barnsley, there is no basis on which an additional charge could be brought."