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The FA have announced their decision in the Alan Pardew headbutt incident:
Pardew will serve a seven-match ban, first three of which will be a stadium suspension. Also fined £60,000. #nufc
— Miles Starforth (@milesstarforth) March 11, 2014
The incident, in case you've been living under a rock, involved Alan Pardew headbutting David Meyler during a 72nd minute touchline scuffle in Newcastle's 4-1 win over Hull City on 1 March. Pardew has already stated that he will not appeal the decision.
The fine is in addition to the £100,000 paid directly to Newcastle United as part of their own in-house punishment. The 7-game ban falls a bit short of what many on social media expected, which was a ban for the rest of the season. While some may feel that the punishment is a bit lenient, it is the longest ban handed out to a manager in the history of the Premier League.
To me, it seems just right. The standard player punishment for a mild-ish headbutt seems to be 3 games (See: Loic Remy against Swansea City's Jonjo Shelvey), and managers will and should be held to a higher standard in these kinds of incidents. Pardew also has a history of touchline violence, as he was banned for 3 matches himself back in 2012 when he shoved the fourth official during the opening league match with Tottenham Hotspur. On the other side, Meyler did show some aggressiveness of his own. That doesn't excuse Pardew's behavior, but may have been a mitigating consideration as far as punishment was concerned.
The next 7 matches are as follows. The stadium ban is bolded. Presumably John Carver will take over touchline duties during that time.
| 15 March | Fulham | Away |
| 22 March | Crystal Palace | Home |
| 25 March | Everton | Home |
| 29 March | Southampton | Away |
| 5 April | Manchester United | Home |
| 12 April | Stoke City | Away |
| 19 April | Swansea City | Home |
