Sheffield United and Watford face penalty for brawl following a “punch” accusation in their Bramall Lane meeting.
FA punishes Sheffield United and Watford after Blades say “punches” triggered melees.
Sheffield United has received its second penalty from the Football Association following another complaint of player misconduct, with the Blades stating that the disturbance began when a Hornets player launched PUNCHES at one of their own men. United and Watford were involved in brawls during and after the Blades’ 1-0 victory at Bramall Lane earlier this month, with both sides being sanctioned by the authorities.
Both teams were dealt with collectively, rather than individually, due to past violations of the FA’s regulation E20.1, which governs player behavior on the pitch. Both clubs conceded the allegations following two incidents caused by a late collide between United’s Harry Souttar and former Blade Daniel Jebbison, currently at Bournemouth and on loan to Watford. Referee Andrew Kitchen’s match report listed the following flashpoints: “In the 94th minute of the match, numerous players from both sides were involved in a mass confrontation around the center circle.”
“After the confrontation, Sheffield United 6 (Harry Souttar) and Watford 18 (Daniel Jebbison) were both reprimanded for unsportsmanlike conduct. This has been forwarded to The FA to investigate any further misbehavior. Following the full-time whistle, multiple players from both teams engaged in a major altercation on the field of play. No disciplinary action was taken, and the case has been forwarded to The FA to investigate any undetected misbehavior.”
The commission dealt harshly with United because of their recent disciplinary record, which included four previous breaches of the same rule in the last five years, two this season alone, following a similar incident in the EFL Cup against Wrexham. The panel also discussed how close some of the instances had occurred: “For example, the three charges brought during the 2022/23 season all occurred within less than a month,” the panel stated in the FA’s written reasons. “This pattern of behaviour displays a consistent failing by the club to control its players, despite its claims that they are addressing the issue.”
United claimed that the mass confrontation began after a Watford guy – whose identity was censored – attempted to hit one of their own players twice, “which was not seen by any of the match officials [and] we believe this is the catalyst behind the mass confrontation.” But the commission rejected that account of events, concluding that the acts of the anonymous United man – who, “in an effort to stop his opponent from gaining an advantage, grabs [the Watford player] for a sustained period of time” – that kicked off the unsavoury scenes.
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The written grounds for the sanctions also include another unidentified United player “waving his arms, encouraging the crowd to get louder and be more passionate” while “players are attempting to calm down.” The committee concluded that this didn’t have a “causative effect on the breaches … however, it does demonstrate a lack of understanding of the responsibility that players have not to exacerbate such incidents.”
Watford, on the other hand, has a spotless record in terms of E20 charges, with no previous violations in the last five years. Despite the fact that the panel agreed that their players had been provoked, the Hornets were nonetheless punished. As a result, they were fined the minimal Championship sum of £5,000, whereas United got a £17,000 penalty, more than double the £8,500 punishment they earned after confessing to breaking the same regulation against Wrexham.
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