MP demands review of Hume case

Barnsley Central MP Eric Illsley has tabled an early day motion calling for the Football Association to review their decision not to punish Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan for the challenge that left Barnsley striker Iain Hume with a fractured skull.

Hume suffered the injury and underwent surgery after an aerial challenge with Morgan during the first half of the South Yorkshire derby on 8 November, which saw Morgan booked by referee Andy D'Urso.

Barnsley and the player have taken legal advice over the incident and Illsley has tabled the Parliamentary motion calling for the FA to look at the incident again "in view of the lack of protection given to Iain Hume and the complete failure of football's governing body to deal properly with this issue".

The FA decided not to take further action after taking "express direction" from Fifa and deciding that "we can only bring additional charges in the most exceptional cases and only if it can be proved beyond doubt that the actions of a player were a deliberate attempt to injure an opponent".

However Illsley told BBC Radio 5 Live: "My view is that this does amount to deliberate violent conduct. I'm aware of the FA statement and I disagree with it.

"There are two aspects here, which are the FA's Respect agenda and whether or not the actions of Chris Morgan were deliberate.

"The referee on the day booked Chris Morgan so he must have realised that the challenge was outside the rules and deliberate.

"When you look at the challenge, it is difficult to see how it couldn't be classed as violent conduct and I fail to see how the FA cannot consider that as violent conduct.

"When you consider that Iain Hume, according to the club, had been asking for protection from similar incidents all through the game then you have to consider that there was obviously an intention on the part of Chris Morgan to either intimidate Iain Hume or stop him playing his game.

"The club are making further representations and what legal avenues are open to them but my call is for the FA to look at it again."