Birmingham defender Paul Robinson banned for three games after Aston Villa clash
Thursday 27 April 2017 11:31, UK
Birmingham defender Paul Robinson will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect after an incident at Aston Villa on Sunday.
The 38-year-old was charged by the FA with violent conduct in relation to an incident in or around the 68th minute of the game at Villa Park which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.
Robinson appeared to hit out at Villa's James Chester but denied the charge and insisted his actions were not intentional as Chester ran past from his blind side.
The Villa centre-back has accepted his apology for the contact.
Off-the-ball incidents which are not seen at the time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite referees.
Each panel member reviews the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they consider it a sending-off offence.
For retrospective action to be taken, and an FA charge to follow, the decision of the panel must be unanimous.
Villa won the match 1-0, thanks to a Gabriel Agbonlahor goal midway through the second half.
Robinson's suspension rules him out for the rest of the season as Birmingham battle to remain in the Championship.
The Blues, who appointed Harry Redknapp as boss last week after Gianfranco Zola quit, host Huddersfield on Saturday before a potentially crucial final-day trip to Bristol City.
