McManaman escape enrages Toon

Newcastle reacted with outrage yesterday after the FA announced that Wigan’s 21-year-old forward Callum McManaman will not face retrospective action for his studs-up challenge on Magpies defender Massadio Haidara.

The FA confirmed that the incident was seen by at least one of the match officials — even though referee Mark Halsey was unsighted — and under current rules, that means retrospective action cannot be taken.

The announcement led to a storm of criticism from former players and pundits, and Newcastle’s managing director Derek Llambias said the club would make immediate moves to change the disciplinary process.