Thatcher hit with double blow
Manager Stuart Pearce will be without Thatcher for Arsenal match tomorrow
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Friday, 25, Aug 2006 10:10
Ben Thatcher has been suspended by Manchester City and charged by the Football Association for his horror challenge on Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes.
In a statement, City said the defender will miss tomorrow's match with Arsenal while the club launches an internal investigation into the incident which saw Mendes' admitted to hospital after Thatcher's elbow on Wednesday night.
Thatcher will also have to answer a charge of serious foul play as the FA consider further punishment after he was only shown a yellow card by referee Dermot Gallagher.
The FA statement reads: "The incident is being considered as an exceptional case because The FA contends that the challenge was sufficiently serious that had Thatcher been sent off, an additional sanction would have been merited."
The decision goes against the policy of not handing out retrospective punishment to players if the incident is dealt with by the referee.
Thatcher, who has made a written apology to Mendes, has until September 12th to respond to the charge.
Greater Manchester Police has also confirmed that they had received a number of complaints about the challenge at Eastlands which it felt "duty bound" to investigate.
The FA's decision to charge Thatcher after he has been suspended by Manchester City matches the approach taken with Eric Cantona in January 1995 following his attack on a Crystal Palace fan at Selhurst Park.
Cantona was suspended by Manchester United and the FA increased the ban to eight months.
Meanwhile referee Gallagher is set to be demoted from the Premiership's list of referees for his failure to send off Thatcher.