West Ham winger Robert Snodgrass has appealed his Football Association charge for alleged abusive language to a member of the anti-doping agency back in February, according to the London Evening Standard.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Scottish attacker is looking to get himself out of hot water by requesting a personal hearing, with a potential fine or even a ban looming over him if found guilty.
It is stated that while Snodgrass was not tested and did not refuse to take a test when doping officers visited West Ham’s training ground, he is said to have made an abusive or insulting comment which has resulted in the charge.
Opinion
The last thing that West Ham need is a ban for Snodgrass and so it should come as no surprise to hear that he has appealed his charge. It seems odd that a man who comes across as polite and friendly in media appearances as well as on the pitch would go around insulting officials and you can imagine that he will argue the situation has been a big misunderstanding. Still, how you can misunderstand insulting behaviour remains to be seen and perhaps some answers will emerge after the appeal is made. If nothing else, this will act as a warning to other players, both at the Irons as well as across the country, to watch their behaviour and make sure they do not tread too close to the line. We have seen Mauricio Pochettino and Marco Silva punished for the way they have spoken to the referees and perhaps we need to start seeing players sanctioned, for the way officials are treated on a weekly basis is quite frankly unacceptable.
