Gallagher pays Thatcher price
Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce could be without Thatcher for some time
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Saturday, 26, Aug 2006 11:16
Referee Dermot Gallagher has paid the price for failing to send off Ben Thatcher for his challenge on Pedro Mendes after it was revealed he has been dropped from officiating today.
Thatcher was only booked by Gallagher despite television replays showing the Manchester City defender had elbowed the Portsmouth midfielder in the head.
Mendes was kept in hospital overnight after the challenge and now Gallagher has been punished for his leniency by being removed from refereeing the League Two match between Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury at the Memorial Ground.
"Dermot's been removed on the basis of his handling of the incident," a spokesman for the Professional Match Game Officials board told the Daily Mirror.
It is unclear when Gallagher will return to active duty but the decision shows that the refereeing authorities were unhappy with his handling of the situation.
Both Greater Manchester police and the FA are considering further action against Thatcher, who has been dropped from the Manchester City squad for today's fixture against Arsenal.
Mendes will miss Portsmouth's game against Middlesbrough on Monday and will undergo further neurological tests next week to make sure no serious damage has been done.
Andre Warriner will now take charge of the Bristol Rovers versus Shrewsbury game in place of Gallagher.