Campbell hit by FA charge

ANGRY Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has been hit by a violent conduct charge just 24 hours after demanding face-to-face talks with FA bosses over his on-going disciplinary nightmare.

Unless the 28-year-old defender can launch a successful fight against the charge, he will miss three crucial fixtures in the Gunners’ early season programme, which features successive matches against all their major title rivals. News of the charge, which has arisen over an incident involving Manchester United’s Eric Djemba-Djemba during the Community Shield earlier this month, is bound to anger Highbury boss Arsene Wenger, who believes his centre-half is being picked on.

And it also shows the former professional playing expertise of new FA chief executive Mark Palios will not signal a softening of the governing body’s stance on disciplinary issues.

“We can confirm that Sol Campbell has been charged with violent conduct following a recommendation from the FA’s Video Advisory Panel,” said an FA statement. “This follows an incident during the FA Community Shield on August 10. Campbell now has 14 days to respond. If he requests a personal hearing, he will face a three-man independent commission.”

It appears almost certain Campbell will demand a personal hearing to try and clear his name, although the chances of avoiding a ban are slim.

Already due to miss the trip to Manchester City on August 31 because of his red card in the opening league game against Everton last weekend, the late September fixture list which any ban is likely to cover sees, on successive weekends from September 21, Arsenal due to face Manchester United, Newcastle, Liverpool and, after a blank weekend for international fixtures, Chelsea.

If Campbell is found guilty it seems highly likely he would miss at least two and possibly three of those matches, delivering a huge blow to the Gunners’ chances of reclaiming their Premiership crown.

News of the charge was confirmed just hours after it emerged that Palios, along with Sven-Goran Eriksson and FA director of football affairs David Davies, had met Campbell following a demand for talks from the player.

Campbell is still annoyed at his failure to be granted a personal hearing into the four-match ban which followed his red card against Manchester United last April. Campbell’s frustrations were further compounded by the decision to look at the incident involving Djemba-Djemba, when the Arsenal man appeared to kick the midfielder in retaliation for a late tackle.

“Sol can’t be that happy about what happened at the end of last season,” said Eriksson. “He wanted a fair hearing and didn’t believe he got it. Sol is a tough player but he is not a dirty player. I spoke with him before I picked the squad for this match and I had a long chat with him yesterday to try and explain the FA’s views.

“It isn’t easy because it is a very complicated situation but we all felt it was important to have the meeting.”