Newcastle United Football Club News

• Nickname:Magpies
• Founded:1881
• Manager:Alan Pardew

• Ground:St James' Park
• Capacity:52,193

Guthrie escapes more action

17 Sep 2008 - 10:44:14

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Newcastle United have received a welcome boost with the news that Danny Guthrie will receive no further punishment on top of his three-game ban despite breaking Craig Fagan's leg.

Guthrie was sent off in the latter stages of the Magpies' 2-1 defeat to Hull City at St James' Park on Saturday after a wild challenge on Fagan.

The Tigers forward has since been told he faces three months on the sidelines after scans revealed a broken leg.

But the Football Association has revealed that it does not have the power to extend Guthrie's automatic three-game suspension.

"Every sending off carries an automatic sanction under the current regulations," confirmed a spokesman.

"The FA doesn't have the power to extend automatic suspensions.

"The only circumstances in which we could take any further action would be to issue an additional charge against a player.

"This occurs only in exceptional cases, such as Ben Thatcher's challenge on Pedro Mendes in 2006."

Thatcher received an eight-match ban with a further 15 games suspended for two years after the FA took action over the then Manchester City defender's elbow on Portsmouth's Mendes in a Premier League game in August 2006.