Jonjo Shelvey pleads not guilty to the FA

Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has pleaded not guilty to the FA on the charge of racial misconduct during a match against Wolverhampton against Roman Saiss.

This means that Newcastle United will get to play Jonjo Shelvey against Leeds later this weekend. The midfielder, 24, has requested a personal hearing and Newcastle United has stated they will not comment until the matter is fully settled.

In 2013, the FA revised their rules involving racial abuse on the field, and it results in an immediate five-match ban if found guilty. And that’s minimum punishment.

If Shelvey is later found guilty of the charges, Newcastle United will be out an extremely important midfielder. It is possible that his decision to plead not guilty is for the purpose of playing against Leeds later this weekend to give Newcastle the upper-hand on what is considered to be an important match.

We’ll make sure to follow up the story as soon as details come in.