Roy Keane is at the centre of more controversy tonight after the Football Association confirmed this evening they had not received an appeal from the Cork man over the five-match ban and £150,000 fine which was handed down last month following comments made in the Manchester United skipper's controversial autobiography.
A statement on the official FA website www.theFA.com confirmed: "At 5.30pm, the Football Association had not received an appeal from Roy Keane regarding the five-match suspension and £150,000 fine brought against the Manchester United player at a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, October 15. Roy Keane had 14 days in which to respond from Friday, October 18, the date on which he was sent official notification of the hearing's findings. Keane's ban is due to start on November 4."
However, United's legal experts have poured scorn on the FA statement. Representatives of both the club and the player are in possession of an official FA letter, dated October 25, which confirms that Keane had 14 days to appeal against his punishment from the date of the letter.
The FA have refused to confirm the existence of the letter and tonight said they were sticking by today's deadline. However, just a day after the resignation of chief executive Adam Crozier, they look set to be hit by more embarrassment.
If the FA stand by the details of the statement, Keane must sit out the five games following tomorrow's clash with Southampton. It means the midfielder, currently in the latter stages of his recovery from a hip operation, will be suspended for Tuesday's Worthington Cup clash with Leicester and will not be eligible for a domestic return until the quarter-finals of the same competition at the beginning of December. The ban does not affect his involvement in the Champions League.
Filed by Shane Murray
