Ex-Fifa referee verdict on Stockley being handed ban in Sunderland controversy twist
Jayden Stockley will likely face no further charge for his alleged headbutt in Charlton Athletic’s 1-0 win over Sunderland.
That is the view of ex-Fifa and Premier League referee Keith Hackett, speaking exclusively to Football Insider after Lee Johnson insisted Stockley will miss the next three games for Charlton after his confrontation with Tom Flanagan.
As quoted by the Northern Echo, the Sunderland boss claimed the FA will investigate the incident and give the striker a three-match ban.
Johnson was aggrieved that Stockley stayed on the pitch to score the matchwinner for Charlton to inflict Sunderland’s third League One defeat of the season.
In contrast, it was just the Addicks’ third win of the league season after they parted ways with manager Nigel Adkins last week.
The result leaves Sunderland two points off the top of the table but they have two games in hand over league leaders, Plymouth Argyle.
“I like Lee Johnson, I think he’s a manager for the future, and he’s got a real track record,” Hackett said after analysing the footage with Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“But if you’re going to make comments like this it doesn’t help the game as a whole.
“On the clip that I looked at I didn’t see a headbutt, he might be referring to something else I haven’t seen. But from what I’ve seen there’s no headbutt.”
Stockley, a summer signing from Preston North End, has scored five times in 14 League One games this season and has captained Charlton.
A three-game ban would see him miss league fixtures with Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham United as well as Charlton’s first-round FA Cup tie with Havant & Waterlooville.
In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed the EFL’s Derby County ruling could ‘open the floodgates’ for Sunderland and co.