It has been alleged by Leeds United supporters that the Manchester United academy graduate Hannibal spat in their direction during the second half of their 2-0 defeat by the Clarets on Saturday afternoon.
The player was substituted onto the field in the 83rd minute and was shown a yellow card after a strong challenge on Gabriel Gudmundsson as Burnley saw out the result on home soil.
According to the Daily Mail, the FA are looking into reviewing the claims made by the travelling supporters, in addition to the police probe. A formal investigation by English football’s governing body is yet to be launched.
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Hannibal Mejbri accused of spitting at Leeds United fans
Hannibal (furthest right) celebrates promotion from the Championship with Burnley last season (Image credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Over the weekend, a spokesperson for the Lancashire Police issued the following statement: “Lancashire Police are aware of an alleged incident involving a Burnley player during the second half of the Premier League game between Burnley and Leeds United at Turf Moor. We are currently working with Burnley Football Club to establish the facts.”
Burnley have not commented on the matter. Last season, Hannibal did anything but ingratiate himself to Leeds supporters during the Clarets’ 1-0 win at Elland Road, appearing to goad fans in the Norman Hunter South Stand after being substituted.
What sort of punishment could Hannibal face if found guilty?
Spitting at an opponent is considered ‘serious misconduct’ by the FA and carries a minimum six-game ban.
In 2015, Man United’s Jonny Evans (six matches) and Papiss Cisse (seven matches, due to a previous violent conduct charge) were banned for a combined 13 matches after spitting at each other during a Premier League match at St. James’ Park.
Similarly, Arthur Masuaku received a six-match ban in January 2018 for spitting at Wigan Athletic’s Nick Powell during an FA Cup match for West Ham United.
Other high-profile spitting incidents include ex-Arsenal man Patrick Vieira, who was banned for six matches and fined £30,000 for spitting at the Hammers’ Neil Ruddock during a match in 1999.
Patrick Vieira never shied away from confrontation during his career, although it proved costly on numerous occasions (Image credit: PA)
As for players spitting at spectators, there are fewer instances to use as a basis for what Hannibal’s prospective sanction could be.
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In 2003, while representing Liverpool in the UEFA Cup, El Hadji Diouf was found guilty of spitting at a Celtic supporter and subsequently charged with assault. Diouf pleaded guilty in a Scottish court, was fined £5,000, and banned for two European matches by UEFA.
Diouf was also fined by courts in 2005 for spitting at a child at the Riverside Stadium while he was a Bolton Wanderers player – the second such spitting incident he’d been involved in for the north-west club after serving a three-game ban for spitting at Wigan’s Arjan de Zeeuw a year earlier.
El Hadji Diouf during his time with Liverpool
Since then, English football has standardised its regulations on spitting, categorising the offence as ‘serious misconduct’, hence the length and severity of bans handed down to players in the modern era.
If Hannibal is found to have spat at Leeds fans, there is the possibility the 22-year-old could be charged with assault and sanctioned by the courts in addition to the FA.
Perhaps the most infamous incident of an assault on a spectator by a player is Eric Cantona’s ‘kung-fu kick’ on Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons in January 1995. Cantona was initially suspended by Man United for the rest of the season, with the FA later extending the ban to eight months from all competitive football worldwide.
Eric Cantona trudges from the field at Selhurst Park after leaping into the crowd (Image credit: PA)
Cantona was later charged with assault and sentenced to two weeks in prison, which was later reduced to 120 hours of community service on appeal.
In January 1989, Nottingham Forest boss Brian Clough served a touchline ban for punching his own club’s supporters during a pitch invasion at the City Ground. Clough’s punishment by the FA was enforced for the remainder of the 1988/89 season, excluding the 1989 League Cup Final.
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