Leeds defender Pontus Jansson given one-match ban
Tuesday 23 October 2018 18:55, UK
Leeds have accepted the one-match ban given to defender Pontus Jansson for the comments he made following the 1-1 draw with Brentford earlier this month.
The 27-year-old has also been fined £1,000 after he criticised the performance of referee Jeremy Simpson, who awarded a second-half penalty to Brentford which was converted by Neal Maupay.
Jansson, who rescued a point for Leeds with an 88th-minute header, said: "This was a robbery from the referee so it feels bad. Do you think it should be happy? No chance."
Leeds revealed on Tuesday they would not be appealing the judgement made by the Football Association.
Jansson will now miss Leeds' match at home to Ipswich on Wednesday.
The statement read: "Leeds United accept the one-match ban issued to Pontus Jansson following our game with Brentford earlier this month, purely due to the fact that the club sees no value in making an appeal.
"All parties agree that the language used by Pontus in his flash interview after the game was inappropriate, however we also feel that a warning or a fine would have been a fairer outcome, especially given the following mitigating circumstances which we outlined to the FA in a letter following the charge:
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"1. Pontus is a passionate and committed professional. After playing 95 minutes of a full blooded game, which pundits described as "showcasing the best of the Championship", Pontus was asked to "sum up his feelings". Whilst his response was inappropriate and ill judged, it was a heartfelt and honest answer given in the heat of competition. There was no element of pre-meditation.
"2. Pontus immediately regretted his response and issued a swift and public apology. He fully understands his responsibilities and the standards the FA and Leeds United hold him to, and accepts that on this occasion he briefly fell below those standards. Accordingly he immediately accepted the charge.
"3. Pontus was under unusual pressure as his wife was due to give birth. His outburst was uncharacteristic. He is a great professional and active in many of our Leeds United community and charitable endeavours.
"4. The club take the charge seriously and have used this incident to remind all players of their responsibilities.'
"As a result of the ban Leeds United will take the following days to review our post-match interview procedures."
