Mile Jedinak plays a hard-nosed style of soccer, but he went too far last weekend.
England’s Football Association charged Jedinak with violent conduct Monday, two days after Crystal Palace’s 3-1 Premier League win over West Ham, the governing body said in a statement.
Jedinak elbowed West Ham’s Diafra Sakho in the 87th minute of the game but escaped punishment from referee Mike Dean or his assistants. However, the FA used video footage of the incident to charge Jedinak retroactively.
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Jedinak has until 6 p.m. GMT on Tuesday to respond to the charge. The FA will ban Jedinak for four games if he and Crystal Palace decline to fight it.
Jedinak was playing in his first game for Crystal Palace since returning from Asian Cup duty with Australia’s national team (the “Socceroos” won the competition).
Jedinak could miss Crystal Palace’s upcoming Premier League games games at Southampton (on Tuesday), against Queens Park Rangers (March 14), at Stoke City (March 21) and against Manchester City (April 6). Crystal Palace currently sits 12th in the Premier League standings with 30 points after 27 games, but it could slide toward a late-season relegation fight without its captain.
Jedinak faces such a hefty ban for his flying elbow because the FA deems it a red-card-level offense. He earned a red card against Sunderland in November, and the FA could punish Jedinak beyond the standard three-game ban for a dismissal.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@TheWorldGame
