Chance of ‘citing’ ban for Sheffield Wednesday man revealed by ex-ref after incident left Coventry City boss furious
Sky Blues manager Mark Robins was left incensed with what he saw as a ‘deliberate’ attempt to ‘leave one on’ his midfielder Jamie Allen, who he reported left the stadium in an ambulance with a depressed fracture of the cheekbone. Robins, a former Owls player, urged authorities to act and suggested his club would launch an appeal that could see Bernard ‘cited’ and slapped with a retrospective suspension.
The incident is not dissimilar to that of an incident involving Bernard’s Owls teammate Marvin Johnson in a League One clash at Ipswich Town in February last year. Despite officials on the day deciding they had not seen the incident clearly enough to hand out a punishment live, the Wednesday winger was later hit with a three-match ban having later been found guilty of violent conduct for his tangle with Wes Burns.
Footage of Bernard’s contact with Allen, which resulted in a free-kick only, has made its way onto social media and does appear to show a late challenge. Assuming Coventry do press forward with an appeal, the fate of the Owls defender will rest on whether the match officials – led by Premier League referee Chris Kavanagh – felt they had adequately seen the coming together. If not, further footage will be sought to inform an independent FA panel. If found guilty, a suspension could be handed out.