" Referee says Omer Riza lunged at him "

Cardiff City v Swansea City referee James Bell claimed Riza angrily "lunged" at him in the aftermath of the incident with Franco



The full written reasons for Omer Riza's sending off and subsequent ban have been revealed



Omer Riza has accused Goncalo Franco of deliberately provoking him into a reaction during the South Wales derby and claimed the Swansea City midfielder "smirked and laughed" at him when he got sent off in the heated clash last month.

The Cardiff City manager was shown a red card following his furious reaction in the 92nd minute of the derby match, with the Bluebirds won 3-0.

In the written statement of the incident, it states that Franco attempted to keep a ball in play and Riza, who was said to be outside of his technical area, collided with the Portuguese, which led to a fiery altercation near the touchline, with Cardiff's players and coaching staff having to restrain the manager.

Riza was charged with breaching FA Rule E3.1, which states people should "at all times act in the best interests of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour".

All this came just two days after Riza's father, Josh, had passed away and the Bluebirds boss pleaded for leniency when deliberating over his punishment. However, the Cardiff manager was handed a three-match ban - the last of which was served in last night's encounter with Portsmouth - and a £3,500 fine.

Now, the written submission of the incident has been released by the Football Association and, in it, referee James Bell claimed Riza angrily "lunged" at him in the aftermath of the incident with Franco

“In the 92nd minute the Swansea City #17 Goncalo Franco chased down a loose ball attempting to keep it in play but as he did so collided with the home team manager (Omer Riza) who was positioned just outside the edge of his technical area," Bell's written statement read.

"Omer reacted angrily entering the field of play aggressively attempting to confront the Swansea player for which he was shown a stage 2 red card.

"Omer's actions sparked a reaction primarily by his own colleagues who tried to restrain him. Having been shown the red card Omer then lunged in my direction reacting aggressively to the red card that had been issued. No further acts of misconduct were witnessed on field but as per guidelines I am reporting this confrontation for further consideration.”

In response, Riza was afforded to give his version of events and claimed that Franco had goaded him all game and believed some of the tackles he produced during the match also played a part in why he reacted in such a way. He even claimed that Franco raised his arm in a "reckless manner" which, in his opinion, was tantamount to violent conduct.

“Firstly, in respect of my personal circumstances. As I’m sure you will be able to empathise, the 48 hours leading up to the fixture following the death of my father were extremely emotional and taxing; however, I am certain that I made the right decision to lead the team into this match as normal," Riza said.

"I would like to apologise for my reaction to the provocation pitchside; as I’m sure all who have worked with me can attest, this was a circumstantially driven emotional reaction that is very much out of character. Nonetheless, I know my responsibilities and the examples that I must always set to my players and staff.

"In respect of the aforementioned provocation and coming-together, I’d like to offer my account of the circumstances around it. Swansea Player #17 Gonçalo Franco persisted in making targeted eye contact with me throughout the fixture which can be seen in the clips during the 67th and 76th minutes of the game.

"The same player overstepped the mark with several challenges during the match and I felt that he was waiting for an opportunity to try and provoke me into a reaction. When the player collided with me in the 92nd minute, the force and movement of his forearm can only be described as reckless behaviour and in my mind, violent conduct.

"There was no attempt by Franco to pull out of the collision. Following my sending off, Franco can be seen smirking and laughing as if the pre-meditated task had been completed successfully. I would ask that the circumstances and video evidence presented here are considered by way of mitigation.”

The Regulatory Commission, comprised of Michael O’Brien, chairman, Peter Fletcher and Alan Hardy, dismissed Riza's assertions that Franco's actions were enough to constitute a mitigating factor, upon review of video footage.

In the view of The Commission, "the primary reason for the collision was the positioning of OR [Riza]," the verdict read: "It may or may not have been the case that Goncalo Franco could have done more to avoid the collision. However, in the absence of any certainty about this point, The Commission did not consider this to amount to a mitigating factor on OR’s behalf.

"The footage showed that OR subsequently charged aggressively onto the pitch and made inappropriate physical contact with Goncalo Franco. OR had to be restrained by several of his players and backroom staff before he was encouraged to leave the pitch. After subsequently being shown a red card for his actions, OR again reacted angrily and had to be restrained from approaching the referee."

Cardiff City v Swansea City referee James Bell claimed Riza angrily "lunged" at him in the aftermath of the incident with Franco



The full written reasons for Omer Riza's sending off and subsequent ban have been revealed



Omer Riza has accused Goncalo Franco of deliberately provoking him into a reaction during the South Wales derby and claimed the Swansea City midfielder "smirked and laughed" at him when he got sent off in the heated clash last month.

The Cardiff City manager was shown a red card following his furious reaction in the 92nd minute of the derby match, with the Bluebirds won 3-0.

In the written statement of the incident, it states that Franco attempted to keep a ball in play and Riza, who was said to be outside of his technical area, collided with the Portuguese, which led to a fiery altercation near the touchline, with Cardiff's players and coaching staff having to restrain the manager.

Riza was charged with breaching FA Rule E3.1, which states people should "at all times act in the best interests of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour".

All this came just two days after Riza's father, Josh, had passed away and the Bluebirds boss pleaded for leniency when deliberating over his punishment. However, the Cardiff manager was handed a three-match ban - the last of which was served in last night's encounter with Portsmouth - and a £3,500 fine.

Now, the written submission of the incident has been released by the Football Association and, in it, referee James Bell claimed Riza angrily "lunged" at him in the aftermath of the incident with Franco

“In the 92nd minute the Swansea City #17 Goncalo Franco chased down a loose ball attempting to keep it in play but as he did so collided with the home team manager (Omer Riza) who was positioned just outside the edge of his technical area," Bell's written statement read.

"Omer reacted angrily entering the field of play aggressively attempting to confront the Swansea player for which he was shown a stage 2 red card.

"Omer's actions sparked a reaction primarily by his own colleagues who tried to restrain him. Having been shown the red card Omer then lunged in my direction reacting aggressively to the red card that had been issued. No further acts of misconduct were witnessed on field but as per guidelines I am reporting this confrontation for further consideration.”

In response, Riza was afforded to give his version of events and claimed that Franco had goaded him all game and believed some of the tackles he produced during the match also played a part in why he reacted in such a way. He even claimed that Franco raised his arm in a "reckless manner" which, in his opinion, was tantamount to violent conduct.

“Firstly, in respect of my personal circumstances. As I’m sure you will be able to empathise, the 48 hours leading up to the fixture following the death of my father were extremely emotional and taxing; however, I am certain that I made the right decision to lead the team into this match as normal," Riza said.

"I would like to apologise for my reaction to the provocation pitchside; as I’m sure all who have worked with me can attest, this was a circumstantially driven emotional reaction that is very much out of character. Nonetheless, I know my responsibilities and the examples that I must always set to my players and staff.

"In respect of the aforementioned provocation and coming-together, I’d like to offer my account of the circumstances around it. Swansea Player #17 Gonçalo Franco persisted in making targeted eye contact with me throughout the fixture which can be seen in the clips during the 67th and 76th minutes of the game.

"The same player overstepped the mark with several challenges during the match and I felt that he was waiting for an opportunity to try and provoke me into a reaction. When the player collided with me in the 92nd minute, the force and movement of his forearm can only be described as reckless behaviour and in my mind, violent conduct.

"There was no attempt by Franco to pull out of the collision. Following my sending off, Franco can be seen smirking and laughing as if the pre-meditated task had been completed successfully. I would ask that the circumstances and video evidence presented here are considered by way of mitigation.”

The Regulatory Commission, comprised of Michael O’Brien, chairman, Peter Fletcher and Alan Hardy, dismissed Riza's assertions that Franco's actions were enough to constitute a mitigating factor, upon review of video footage.

In the view of The Commission, "the primary reason for the collision was the positioning of OR [Riza]," the verdict read: "It may or may not have been the case that Goncalo Franco could have done more to avoid the collision. However, in the absence of any certainty about this point, The Commission did not consider this to amount to a mitigating factor on OR’s behalf.

"The footage showed that OR subsequently charged aggressively onto the pitch and made inappropriate physical contact with Goncalo Franco. OR had to be restrained by several of his players and backroom staff before he was encouraged to leave the pitch. After subsequently being shown a red card for his actions, OR again reacted angrily and had to be restrained from approaching the referee."

Cardiff City v Swansea City referee James Bell claimed Riza angrily "lunged" at him in the aftermath of the incident with Franco



The full written reasons for Omer Riza's sending off and subsequent ban have been revealed



Omer Riza has accused Goncalo Franco of deliberately provoking him into a reaction during the South Wales derby and claimed the Swansea City midfielder "smirked and laughed" at him when he got sent off in the heated clash last month.

The Cardiff City manager was shown a red card following his furious reaction in the 92nd minute of the derby match, with the Bluebirds won 3-0.

In the written statement of the incident, it states that Franco attempted to keep a ball in play and Riza, who was said to be outside of his technical area, collided with the Portuguese, which led to a fiery altercation near the touchline, with Cardiff's players and coaching staff having to restrain the manager.

Riza was charged with breaching FA Rule E3.1, which states people should "at all times act in the best interests of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour".

All this came just two days after Riza's father, Josh, had passed away and the Bluebirds boss pleaded for leniency when deliberating over his punishment. However, the Cardiff manager was handed a three-match ban - the last of which was served in last night's encounter with Portsmouth - and a £3,500 fine.

Now, the written submission of the incident has been released by the Football Association and, in it, referee James Bell claimed Riza angrily "lunged" at him in the aftermath of the incident with Franco

“In the 92nd minute the Swansea City #17 Goncalo Franco chased down a loose ball attempting to keep it in play but as he did so collided with the home team manager (Omer Riza) who was positioned just outside the edge of his technical area," Bell's written statement read.

"Omer reacted angrily entering the field of play aggressively attempting to confront the Swansea player for which he was shown a stage 2 red card.

"Omer's actions sparked a reaction primarily by his own colleagues who tried to restrain him. Having been shown the red card Omer then lunged in my direction reacting aggressively to the red card that had been issued. No further acts of misconduct were witnessed on field but as per guidelines I am reporting this confrontation for further consideration.”

In response, Riza was afforded to give his version of events and claimed that Franco had goaded him all game and believed some of the tackles he produced during the match also played a part in why he reacted in such a way. He even claimed that Franco raised his arm in a "reckless manner" which, in his opinion, was tantamount to violent conduct.

“Firstly, in respect of my personal circumstances. As I’m sure you will be able to empathise, the 48 hours leading up to the fixture following the death of my father were extremely emotional and taxing; however, I am certain that I made the right decision to lead the team into this match as normal," Riza said.

"I would like to apologise for my reaction to the provocation pitchside; as I’m sure all who have worked with me can attest, this was a circumstantially driven emotional reaction that is very much out of character. Nonetheless, I know my responsibilities and the examples that I must always set to my players and staff.

"In respect of the aforementioned provocation and coming-together, I’d like to offer my account of the circumstances around it. Swansea Player #17 Gonçalo Franco persisted in making targeted eye contact with me throughout the fixture which can be seen in the clips during the 67th and 76th minutes of the game.

"The same player overstepped the mark with several challenges during the match and I felt that he was waiting for an opportunity to try and provoke me into a reaction. When the player collided with me in the 92nd minute, the force and movement of his forearm can only be described as reckless behaviour and in my mind, violent conduct.

"There was no attempt by Franco to pull out of the collision. Following my sending off, Franco can be seen smirking and laughing as if the pre-meditated task had been completed successfully. I would ask that the circumstances and video evidence presented here are considered by way of mitigation.”

The Regulatory Commission, comprised of Michael O’Brien, chairman, Peter Fletcher and Alan Hardy, dismissed Riza's assertions that Franco's actions were enough to constitute a mitigating factor, upon review of video footage.

In the view of The Commission, "the primary reason for the collision was the positioning of OR [Riza]," the verdict read: "It may or may not have been the case that Goncalo Franco could have done more to avoid the collision. However, in the absence of any certainty about this point, The Commission did not consider this to amount to a mitigating factor on OR’s behalf.

"The footage showed that OR subsequently charged aggressively onto the pitch and made inappropriate physical contact with Goncalo Franco. OR had to be restrained by several of his players and backroom staff before he was encouraged to leave the pitch. After subsequently being shown a red card for his actions, OR again reacted angrily and had to be restrained from approaching the referee."

Whilst his reaction was perhaps heart ruling head, Riza is correct - the little rat made no effort to pull out the collision and moved his arm towards him. He's been stitched up by the ref who obviously wants to see further action taken by his statement and the commission who have not taken into account Franco's part in the incident. And he did smirk about it afterwards - its clearly visible in the footage.

I wish more of our players showed the sort of passion that Riza did against Swansea.

Ive always said we need an "Enforcer" in Midfield of the calibre of Jimmy Case or Vinnie Jones

Franco knew what he was doing. However he has every right to go for the ball and Riza was outside of his technical area. The whole thing could've been avoided if Riza was where he was meant to be standing.

Franco knew what he was doing. However he has every right to go for the ball and Riza was outside of his technical area. The whole thing could've been avoided if Riza was where he was meant to be standing.

Yes you right riza was outside his technical area but how many times have we seen a manager outside it over the years and if there was any problem with it the fourth official would have told him to go back into it.however Franco did what he did out of malice and if the Jack's management had any decency they would have apologised to riza knowing what he had been through the past two days but guess what nothing was forthcoming from a club bereft of any feeling or decent human behaviour from top.to bottom

Chelsea away first time we were in the Premier League.

Jordon Mutch with the ball near the touchline when Mourinho steps onto the pitch and almost tackles him.

Same game Eto'o kicked the ball when Marshall bounced it and went on to score a goal which should never have stood.

I never saw Riza lunge at the ref, all bull