Tottenham ‘shocked’ after Eveliina Summanen is handed a two-match ban for simulation
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Tottenham ‘shocked’ after Eveliina Summanen was handed a two-match ban for simulation… with Spurs raising questions about consistency in the rules between the men’s and women’s game.
- Evelina Summanen put her face to the ground after Toone pushed her shoulder.
- Manchester United striker Toone was sent off, but it was later disallowed.
- Now, the Tottenham midfielder has been banned for his next two matches.
Tottenham are understood to be shocked and disappointed by the decision to uphold Eveliina Summanen’s two-game ban for “successful cheating of a match official”.
Summanen was charged with misconduct by the Football Association after he allegedly committed a “clear act of malingering”, which resulted in Ella Toone’s expulsion from Manchester United on February 12.
The incident occurred in the 80th minute when Toone shoved Summanen in the shoulder in reaction to an earlier challenge, prompting referee Amy Fearn to show a red card.
But Summanen, who covered her face after Toone’s contact, was accused of “acting up” by United boss Marc Skinner.
“In my opinion, it was a performance, there’s no need to roll around grabbing your face,” Skinner said after the game. ‘You want to see passion for your club, it’s a foul, probably a yellow card.
Tottenham midfielder Eveliina Summanen was given a two-match suspension.
The Spurs midfielder (right) was involved in an off-the-ball fight with Man United’s Ella Toone (left) during their WSL encounter earlier this month, with Toone’s red card now nullified.
“But you just don’t need to go around grabbing your face, that’s the part of the game I don’t want in our game.” It’s a clear push in the shoulder. It’s just not a good sign on my part.
The Spurs midfielder denied the misconduct allegation, but an Independent Regulatory Commission upheld the decision.
Tottenham, which is awaiting the commission’s written reasoning, fully supports their player and does not believe she has acted inappropriately.
sports mail understands that the club also feels that there are inconsistencies in the way the rules relating to inappropriate conduct are applied in the competitions of the men’s and women’s games.
Toone herself tweeted after the game: “I’m proud of the passion and love I have when I play for this club.
‘Raise your hands to see my reaction and I will learn from it. Proud of the team.
Summanen, a key player for Tottenham, will miss this weekend’s FA Cup fifth round with Reading and next month’s league game against Manchester City.
Toone’s red card was later overturned as Summanen was charged with ‘simulation’ and banned.
The offense of cheating on a match official was introduced into football ahead of the 2017-18 season.
Official law states: ‘When there is clear and overwhelming evidence to suggest that a match official has been misled by an act of simulation, and as a direct result, the offending player’s team has been penalized and/or an opposing player has been rejected, the FA will be able to act retroactively under its Fast Track system.
A panel comprising a former match official, a former manager and a former player will be asked to review all available video footage of the incident independently and then report to the FA if they believe it was an offence. from ‘Successful Deception of a Match Official’.
“Only in circumstances where the panel is unanimous will the FA charge the individual concerned.”
