Zimpapers Logo

London – Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse will face a severe punishment after accepting an FA charge of spitting at Manchester United defender Jonny Evans in Wednesday’s Premier League match. “Both ourselves and Papiss agree this kind of behaviour isn’t acceptable,” Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley said in a statement yesterday.

The precise sanction the FA will hand out is not yet known but media reports said the Senegalese international faced a lengthy ban.

“In life when you do something wrong you’ve to front up, admit your mistakes and accept the punishment,” Charnley added.

“Papiss was proactive this morning in making a full and heartfelt apology which he did in advance of any notification from the FA regarding this charge. This was something he felt strongly about and we fully support him in accepting the charge.”

The FA said the incidents, unseen by match officials, were caught on video and reviewed by a three-man panel of former elite referees who agreed unanimously that both players should have been sent off.

Evans has also been charged for spitting at Cisse but he denies any wrongdoing. — Reuters