I was thinking exactly the same about the Holgate attack. It's been 4-5 weeks already? No matter what else is decided, he's got to get a long ban for violent conduct. Hitting those seats the way he did could have ended Bobby's career.

He's actually been charged though.

Bascombe said last weekend the FA are still investigating the Firmino/Holgate saga. Think there may be some news on it next week.

It's funny had any comments 're Rodriguez who has been charged yet the furore surrounding Firmino befoe he was even charged just said it all.

As for Rodriguez really M interested to hear what he was alleged to have said.

FA trying to think of a way out for a black English player making ill-informed racial allegations is all that's happening

If Firmino had said something he'd have been charged and punished by now in desperation to be social justice angels.

The fact he hasn't been shows you nothing happened and therefore Holgate's conduct should be reviewed.

This looks a little less straightforward but a strong comment has come out of Rodriguez tonight.

Holgate was mistaken with what he thought he heard.
Remains to be seen if Bong was.

Referee backed Bong, which is usually very strong evidence for FA to act on

Apparently said “you’re black and you smell”

comment by MUFCdan (U1463)
posted 3 hours, 7 minutes ago
Apparently said “you’re black and you smell”
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That's playground stuff.

comment by MUFCdan (U1463)
posted 4 hours, 47 minutes ago
Apparently said “you’re black and you smell”
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how pathetic naughty though

comment by MUFCdan (U1463)
posted 5 hours, 11 minutes ago
Apparently said “you’re black and you smell”
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There was definitely something there relating to him smelling, as he clearly held his nose and made a face.

If the referee says he heard it, then that’s pretty strong evidence, but my memory of it is that Bong called the referee over, which suggests to me that the referee didn’t hear it. But I could be wrong.

The FA used to demand the same burden of proof as the Law, but that’s changed over the past few years: they don’t need hard evidence any more, they just need to come to a decision about what “probably” happened.

Lip-reading, for example, isn’t sufficient evidence for the Law, so the FA also wouldn’t consider it in the Scmeichel/Wright case, but they would now.

That’s why they don’t charge anybody with racism, or even with making a racist comment. They studiously avoid that, and make it plain in their statements that that’s not the charge. They’d be open to libel, if they did, because it’s an offence outside of football, and the burden of proof would be greater, so they’d probably lose.

That’s not going to stop anybody, even in the mainstream Press, from stating that the player concerned was found guilty of ‘racism’ or of making a ‘racist comment’, so it’s a bit of weaselly entrapment really: the player is found guilty, in the court of public opinion, of something he was never charged with, and something which the FA only need to decide “probably” happened.

I understand the motive: they want to stamp it out, and it’s one of those things that’s difficult to prove, but I’m not sure this kind of thing, with all the publicity it gets, doesn’t just encourage more racism. The narrative, for racists, is that minorities get “special treatment”, and don’t even have to prove anything.

If anybody (especially the referee) corroborates Bong’s version of events, Rodriguez is toast.
But there’s an argument in any case that once you’re charged, the FA has a conviction-rate above 99%, so you’re toast anyway. Because they’ve already decided, and the subsequent enquiry is only ever going to confirm what they already think.

But whether or not Rodriguez did it, he probably deserves a ban anyway, for being infantile
A grown man pinching his fingers over his nose and saying “you smell”.....seriously?