Adnan Januzaj stamp: Fulham defender Sascha Riether admits guilt in apologetic tweet to Manchester United forward

Fulham's German defender Sascha Riether looks certain to accept a charge of violent conduct for his apparent stamp on Manchester United forward Adnan Januzaj

Adnan Januzaj is tackled by Sascha Riether (GETTY IMAGES)

Fulham defender Sascha Riether has apologised to Adnan Januzaj after appearing to stamp on the Manchester United forward at the weekend.

The German became the first player to be charged by the Football Association under a new pilot scheme where a panel of three former referees reviews video evidence of incidents not seen by match officials.

He has until 6pm to admit or deny the charge, but following today's developments, it looks certain he will not challenge it.

Riether took to Twitter today to apologise, blaming frustration during his side's 3-1 defeat at Craven Cottage for his actions.

"I want to say I am sorry to Adnan Januzai. It was very unlike me and I can only say that frustration got the better of me.

"I want the fans to know that I will be working hard to stay fit and will be ready to continue fighting for the Club as soon as I am able. I will accept the consequences of my actions, and hope to put it behind me when I return.

"I also want to apologise to my teammates, fans and everyone at the club, for the ban incurred following Saturday's match."

Riether appeared to stamp on Januzaj in the last minute of Fulham's defeat, but the incident was not seen by referee Lee Probert or his assistants.

An FA statement said: "Fulham's Sascha Riether has been charged by the FA for violent conduct following an incident which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.

"Riether is the first player to have been charged retrospectively by the FA under a new pilot project for potential 'not seen' incidents in Premier League matches.

"Under the new process, if an incident has not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel of former elite referees Steve Dunn, Eddie Wolstenholme and Alan Wiley will be asked by the FA to review it and advise what, if any action, they believe the match referee should have taken had it been witnessed at the time.

"The panel were of the unanimous decision that it was an act of violent conduct."

Manchester United manager David Moyes has demanded more protection for teenage winger Januzaj.

Moyes said: "It is a bad stamp and it does look deliberate.

"I do think Adnan is going to need a little bit of protection or we are going to find that he is getting kicked up and down.

"He has learned from the good professionals that he has got to get on with it and accept it.

"He only needs to look at Lionel Messi, who is probably the best in the world at getting kicked, getting up and getting on with it and continually producing magic all the time.

"I am not in any way comparing him to Lionel Messi but I am saying we hope the way he gets up after he has been kicked is the way Adnan continues to behave."