Leeds United fans will be furious as FA confirm punishment for Hannibal Mejbri after incident vs Burnley
Hannibal Mejbri has been handed a punishment after admitting a charge for spitting at Leeds United supporters earlier this season.
Leeds suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Burnley in October, a result which is arguably their worst since they made their return to the Premier League.
Former Chelsea star Lesley Ugochukwu and Loum Tchaouna were on the scoresheet for the Clarets, with Hannibal also playing a key role in the game.
However, an incident involving the former Man United midfielder took the headlines from Turf Moor, with a punishment now confirmed.
Hannibal handed four-game suspension, but there’s a catch
It was alleged back in October that Hannibal spat towards the travelling Leeds supporters.
Footage of the incident didn’t serve as much proof of the allegations, though it did show the Whites supporters clearly enraged with something that the Burnley midfielder had either said or done.
He was charged with misconduct, and the FA have since handed him a four-game ban and fined him £15,000 following a hearing.
However, Leeds fans will not be content with that punishment for two reasons.
Firstly, spitting offences have often come with a six-game ban. Borja Sainz, after an incident involving Sunderland’s Chris Mepham, was banned for six games, as was former Leeds midfielder Samuel Saiz.
Secondly, Hannibal will not really miss much at all, given the fact that there are only two games to be played until he is likely to jet off to AFCON.
It means that his punishment will only really span over two gameweeks, which, for a spitting offence, is disgraceful.
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Keith Hackett wanted an extended ban for Hannibal
When the allegations were made, and the FA confirmed charges, MOT Leeds News asked Keith Hackett what punishment Hannibal could have been looking at.
“It is frankly disgusting, and if proven guilty, he should serve a minimum 12-match ban,” the former PGMOL chief said.
For the Burnley star to be handed a quarter of that punishment is shocking, and it sets a bad precedent in the Premier League.
Leeds fans have every right to question the decision.
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