Wigan midfielder Callum McManaman has escaped punishment for his violent challenge on Newcastle defender Massadio Haidara because of a technicality in Football Association rules.
The FA says Tuesday that retrospective action cannot be taken on McManaman because “at least one of the match officials saw the coming together.”
The governing body added that the official didn’t see “the full extent of the challenge” but that it wanted to “avoid the re-refereeing of incidents.”
Haidara was carried off on a stretcher and taken to a hospital with an injury to his left knee after McManaman’s ugly challenge in the first half of Wigan’s 2-1 win on Sunday. The full extent of Haidara’s injury hasn’t been determined.
Newcastle reacted to the FA’s decision by saying “the current disciplinary procedures are not fit for purpose.”