Taylor urges calm in Diouf spitting row

Players’ chief Gordon Taylor has called for a sense of perspective to be applied to El-Hadji Diouf’s latest spitting offence, insisting the player “has not committed murder”.

The Bolton striker has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association and faces a three-match ban if he is found guilty.

Taylor said counselling rather than excessive punishment is the way forward for Diouf, who was caught on camera spitting at Portsmouth captain Arjan de Zeuw during Saturday’s Barclays Premiership match.

It is not the first time the Senegal international – who has already been fined two weeks’ wages by his club – has been involved in spitting incidents.

Taylor said that while he deplored Diouf’s latest misbehaviour, the way forward was to work with the player towards preventing the same thing reoccurring.

Taylor said: “The FA have seen something they don’t want to happen so they can’t very well ignore it.”