Riether Apologises For Stamp On Adnan Januzaj

Fulham defender Sascha Riether has issued an apology to Adnan Januzaj for lashing out at the Manchester United youngster at the weekend.

Riether became first player to be retrospectively charged by an FA panel for his challenge on Januzaj towards the end of United's 3-1 win at Craven Cottage.

The German defender appeared to stamp on Januzaj in the last minute of the game, although the incident was not seen by referee Lee Probert or his assistants.

But Riether, who faces a three-match ban for violent conduct, appears unlikely to contest the charge after apologising to Januzaj via his Twitter account.

He wrote: "I want to say I am sorry to Adnan Januzai. It was very unlike me and I can only say that frustration got the better of me.

"I also want to apologise to my teammates, fans and everyone at the Club, for the ban incurred following Saturday's match

"I will accept the consequences of my actions, and hope to put it behind me when I return.

"I want the fans to know that I will be working hard to stay fit and will be ready to continue fighting for the Club as soon as I am able.SR"

In a pilot project, an FA panel of three former referees - Steve Dunn, Eddie Wolstenholme and Alan Wiley - will make a ruling on what they believe the official would have done had he seen it.

For an FA charge to follow, all three panel members must agree it is a sending-off offence. In the instance of Riether, the panel were of the unanimous decision that it was an act of violent conduct.