Keith Lamb has launched a scathing attack on the FA over the decision to ban Jeremie Aliadiere for four games.
Boro fury at Aliadiere ban
Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb has launched a scathing attack on the Football Association after it rejected Jeremie Aliadiere's appeal against his sending off at Liverpool.
Referee Lee Mason dismissed Aliadiere for slapping Javier Mascherano - who raised his hands to the Frenchman - but let the Liverpool midfielder off with a warning.
Boro appealed, but the FA's regulatory commission rejected the claim and extended the ban by another match to four games as they claimed the decision to object to the original sending off was branded as 'frivolous'.
The Teesside club, though, have hit back and Lamb has described the FA's decision as a 'travesty of justice' and insisted they were being treated different as they were not one of the 'big boys'.
Fury
"We are furious and totally astounded that the commission, without consultation, should consider our appeal to be frivolous," blasted the Boro chief.
"Who are they to know our minds when we made this appeal?
"We are appalled at the decision and the entire process. How can nameless, faceless people on a commission decide that our genuine claim for equality and justice be dealt with in such a flippant manner?
"It is a disgraceful comment to suggest our claim was frivolous. We agonised over it before deciding to submit a claim for wrongful dismissal.
"The Oxford Dictionary definition of frivolous is 'not serious, shallow, silly or trifling', while in fact we spent more than two days considering whether or not to appeal the incident.
"It seems strange that only recently Chelsea's appeal against Michael Essien's three-match ban was rejected but not considered 'frivolous'.
"It appears that there is one rule for the big boys and another for the rest
of us."
Harsh
"We considered Jeremie's dismissal to be extremely harsh," he continued.
"We find the inconsistency displayed in this whole incident unacceptable and quite unbelievable.
