The Football Association (FA) has informed Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts that he could face a longer suspension following his serious foul against Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the FA stated that “under the circumstances, the standard punishment is clearly insufficient.”
Roberts is currently facing a three-match suspension, which caused him to miss the recent Championship match against Bristol City, as well as upcoming games against Watford and Leeds.
The FA has given Roberts until Thursday, March 6th, to respond to their statement.
Millwall has responded with their own statement, saying: “Millwall Football Club acknowledges the FA’s statement and will continue to support Liam who has been subjected to horrendous online abuse since Saturday’s collision.”
The incident occurred early in Millwall’s FA Cup match at Selhurst Park, their first South London derby since 2022.
When Mateta pursued a high ball into the penalty area, Millwall goalkeeper Roberts jumped to clear it but kicked Mateta in the head.
Mateta was taken to the hospital for specialist treatment and received 25 stitches to his left ear.
Referee Michael Oliver initially did not call a foul but sent Roberts off after a VAR review.
The FA is now seeking to extend Roberts’ suspension.
Millwall fans showed support for their goalkeeper, applauding in the eighth minute of their 2-0 defeat to Bristol City on Tuesday.
This show of support came after some fans chanted abusive words towards Mateta while he was receiving treatment on the field on Saturday.
Millwall has defended Roberts, calling some media coverage of the foul “unwarranted character assassination”.
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish, speaking on BBC One, described the challenge as: “the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen,” and suggested Roberts “needs to have a long, hard look at himself.”
Millwall manager Alex Neil defended Roberts after the match, stating that Roberts simply "misjudged [the clearance] and caught the lad."
The timeline for Mateta’s return to play is currently unknown.
