Martin Skrtel isn’t one to give up the fight.
Skrtel professed his innocence Thursday of the Football Association’s violent conduct charge, which earned him a three-game ban. Skrtel said on his website he accidentally stepped on David de Gea in the final moments of Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United on Sunday and doesn’t deserve the ban.
“It feels strange because we appealed against those charges and still I was hit by a three-match ban,” Skrtel said, according to the Liverpool Echo. “I didn’t want to stamp on him. It was an accident and I didn’t do it on purpose. I don’t feel guilty.
“It was a long ball and he went towards me and I wanted to jump over him. Simple as that.”
The FA saw things differently. It charged Skrtel on Tuesday and convicted him Wednesday.
Skrtel’s initial public reaction was a not-too-cryptic Instagram post, which featured an image of three clowns.
Skrtel broke his silence Thursday, bringing his case to the court of public opinion. The Independent Regulatory Commission (appeals board) might have found Skrtel guilty, but it comes as no surprise that he’ll continue fighting to clear his name.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@FA
