Savage decides against appeal
Birmingham will not be appealing against the three-match ban handed to Robbie Savage for violent conduct by the Football Association today.
An FA video panel today decided that Savage should be charged for elbowing Chelsea’s Mateja Kezman during Saturday’s Premiership clash at St Andrews.
Under the new FA fast-track system, Savage had the option to accept an immediate three-match suspension or lodge an appeal, but he would have risked having the ban increased to six games if he lost.
His ban will come into effect immediately starting with Tuesday’s home meeting with Manchester City.
Blues manager Steve Bruce leapt to the defence of the Wales international after the match but admits an appeal carried too great a risk.
Bruce said: “I’ve discussed it with the player and the board and I feel so strongly that I would like to appeal.
“But what I can’t have is Robbie missing for six games. That may happen if we appeal so I would think the possibility of an appeal is ‘no.’
“I am very upset. If Robbie had deliberately elbowed the player I would have fined him two weeks’ wages and come down on any player who had done that like a ton of bricks.
“But no-one is going to tell me that Robbie elbowed Kezman intentionally and I feel he has been harshly treated.”
Bruce believes that the incident has only flared up because of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho highlighting matters in his after-match press conferences with the TV and the written press.
He said: “There was no real kerfuffle over what happened. Kezman went down but was back on his feet within 30 seconds with no serious damage done.
“Then their manager views his point to the media afterwards and all of a sudden we are talking about a Robbie Savage incident rather than the game.
“The referee (Barry Knight) said to Savage that he had seen the incident and didn’t think it was intentional and I genuinely feel that’s the truth.
“I don’t think there would have been an issue if Mourinho had said nothing after the game but then it becomes trial by TV and the press.”
Savage will mow miss the games with Tottenham (August 28) and Middlesbrough (September 11) as well as the meeting with Kevin Keegan’s side.
FA spokesman Andrin Cooper confirmed: “We have charged Robbie Savage with violent conduct. With that charge comes an offer of sanction which is three matches.
“He had until 6pm on Tuesday to accept or deny the charge. He has accepted it so the three-match ban comes into effect immediately.
“This is the first major thing to have been dealt with under the new fast-track system and it has been sorted out within 48 hours of the incident.”
