Blades pair facing exit after battle

George Santos and Patrick Suffo, two of the Sheffield United players sent off in Saturday's abandoned game against West Bromwich Albion, may have played their last games for the Yorkshire club.

As the dust began to settle following the extraordinary First Division game at Bramall Lane, which was called off with eight minutes remaining because United had only six players left on the pitch, the home team's manager revealed that he would be taking strong disciplinary measures against two of the central figures. Neil Warnock said that Santos was unlikely to play for the Blades again, while Jaffo would be placed on the transfer list.

Santos was sent off for his challenge on Andy Johnson and Suffo was shown the red card following an incident involving West Bromwich's Derek McInnes. Simon Tracey, the home side's goalkeeper, had been ordered off earlier.

The referee, Eddie Wolstenholme, had to abandon the game when Michael Brown and Rob Ullathorne went off injured, leaving United with fewer than the required minimum of seven players on the pitch. Albion were leading 3-0 at the time.

"I have no complaints about the sendings-off and we are going to have to deal with that as strongly as we can," Warnock said. "I don't think George will ever play for us again and Patrick Suffo will be transfer-listed. We will examine the situation and everything that has gone on and we will deal with it."

He added: "I cannot condone anything my players did. I thought all the sendings-off were justified."

Although Warnock said he believed that Albion should be awarded the three points from the game – the Football League will discuss this week whether the match should be replayed – there were few signs that the ill feeling between the two teams would go away.

Gary Megson, the Albion manager, accused a member of the United staff of trying to encourage his players to go off to force an abandonment.

"It was an absolute disgrace," Megson said. "It was created by, in my view, one person and one football club. I was standing just a couple of yards away. Their instructions were to get sent off, or go down, and they were shouting at the referee to send another one off. There is no way we will replay this game. If we are forced to, we will come here, kick off and then walk off the pitch. But if there is any natural justice, the result will stand."

However, Warnock rejected any suggestion that United had tried to force an abandonment. "I totally refute that and I think it is a disgrace it has been said. It has just been said to give power to their argument. I can say that 100 per cent I did not tell my players to come off. I was not trying to get the game called off. I accepted we had lost that game and my only thought was that we have a tough game against Millwall on Tuesday night and I didn't want anyone aggravating their injury."

Warnock said that Megson "should look in the mirror and put his own house in order" and added: "No disrespect to Gary, but anyone who knows him knows he is the biggest moaner ever. The way he goes on from the bench is an absolute disgrace sometimes.

"He has taken the high moral ground, but if I wanted to go into detail I would question why Darren Moore wasn't sent off because he swung more punches than I have seen a heavyweight boxer swing. And how Daniele Dichio didn't get a red card I'll never know. But these things aren't being mentioned."

However, Megson insisted: "I told Darren Moore that if any one of my players got sent off I would fine every one of my players."

Derek Dooley, the United chairman, agreed that Albion should be awarded the points but said he was not happy with Megson's accusation that players had been told to feign injury. "I do not think that helps the matter," he said, adding that Brown had been in at Bramall Lane yesterday morning for treatment on a groin injury.

Paul Thompson, the Albion chairman, had earlier backed up his manager's comments. "I don't think there was a commitment from Sheffield United players and officials to finish the game," he said. "When Michael Brown came off he didn't look injured to me. He was called off by the bench. I think the big issue is that the result should stand. Natural justice requires the result to stand. A match should not be abandoned after 82 minutes in these circumstances."

Dooley, however, was anxious to play down any suggestions of lasting bitterness. "We shook hands and wished the West Brom directors well afterwards," he said. "There's no animosity in the boardroom. There had been enough on the pitch."

David Burns, the Football League's chief executive, said the match would be discussed at the League's regular board meeting on Thursday.

"I have never come across a situation like this before," he said. "But I think there are precedents where games have been awarded to one team or another when they have been stopped as a result of crowd disturbances, and so we can look at those."