Banned Fernando out until mid-October

Fernando Forestieri is ruled out of action for the Owls until mid-October after losing his appeal against an FA charge of using racist language.

His six-match suspension has been upheld, meaning he will miss our matches against Huddersfield, Fulham, Everton, Middlesbrough, Hull and Wigan and will not be available for selection again until the away game at Cardiff on October 18.

Forestieri has also been fined £25,000.

In a statement, Wednesday said: “The club and the player remain extremely disappointed with the findings of the Regulatory Commission and the Appeal Board, when Fernando was acquitted in relation to the same incident in a court of law earlier this year.

“Both parties will be making no further comment at this time.”

Forestieri was acquitted at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court in March of racially abusing Mansfield defender Krystian Pearce in a pre-season friendly in July 2018.

However, the FA charged the player in June, saying there was sufficient evidence to find him in breach of its own regulations, and he was found guilty by the governing body’s independent regulatory commission of using racist language towards Mr Pearce in the pre-season friendly.

Now he has lost the appeal against the verdict and an FA statement said: “Fernando Forestieri will be unavailable for Sheffield Wednesday’s next six matches after an appeal against a proven breach of FA Rule E3(2) was dismissed by an Appeal Board. Words used by the striker during a friendly fixture against Mansfield Town FC on 24 July 2018 were deemed to have breached Rule E3(1) as they were abusive and/or insulting and constituted an ‘aggravated breach’, which is defined in Rule E3(2), as they included reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race.”

 

 

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