MANCHESTER UNITED and Crystal Palace have been FINED £55,000 for an on-pitch mass brawl which saw Red Devils midfielder Casemiro sent-off.
The 20-man touchline confrontation was sparked after Man Utd winger Antony was left on the deck in the second half of the Red Devils’ 2-1 win on February 4.
A shoving match ensued and midfielder Casemiro was sent off for grabbing Palace’s Will Hughes’ neck.
A statement from the FA read: “Manchester United and Crystal Palace have both been fined £55,000 for a mass confrontation between their players in the 67th minute of a Premier League match on Saturday 4th February.
“Manchester United and Crystal Palace respectively accepted and denied that they failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from provocative behaviour.
“An independent Regulatory Commission subsequently found the charge against Crystal Palace proven and imposed both of the clubs’ fines.”
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Manager Erik ten Hag said after the game: “The player from Crystal Palace takes a big risk.
“Antony could be badly injured by pushing him across the line. Then everyone reacts – our players and their players.
“Casemiro is protecting our player, and protecting the player [Hughes], holding him back.
“If Casemiro should have been sent off, many more players should have been sent off.
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“We get some warnings about our team reacting like this. You have to do it, you have to protect each other, but we want to keep our standards and values at Man Utd.
“You can’t cross lines, but you have to stick together. We have to stand up for each other.”
As a result of the straight red, Casemiro missed three crucial Premier League fixtures.
The Brazil ace, 31, was absent for the double header with Leeds, as well as the 3-0 win over Leicester.
Thankfully for Ten Hag and Co, Casemiro was able to play in the Europa League round of 32 tie against Barcelona, and his suspension ended before Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
The serial trophy winner scored in the 2-0 victory, helping secure United’s first pot since 2017.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
