Coloccini red rescinded as FA charge Newcastle

Newcastle United defender Fabricio Coloccini will not serve a one-match ban after a successful appeal against his red card in Sunday’s 3-0 Wear-Tyne derby defeat to Sunderland.

However, his club have been charged for failing to control their players during the Premier League match by the Football Association.

The Argentina international was shown a straight red card during first-half stoppage time at the Stadium of Light after he was adjudged to have committed a professional foul on Steven Fletcher, with Adam Johnson converting the resulting penalty to give Sunderland a 1-0 lead.

Referee Robert Madley’s decision prompted a furious response from Newcastle manager Steve McClaren and his players, and the FA’s Independent Regulatory Commission has ruled that the official “made an obvious error”.

A statement released on the FA website read: “Fabricio Coloccini will not serve a one-match suspension after his wrongful dismissal claim was successful.

“An Independent Regulatory Commission found that the match referee had made an obvious error in dismissing the Newcastle United defender for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity during the game against Sunderland on Sunday 25 October 2015.”

Coloccini will now be available for Saturday’s home Premier League match against Stoke but the FA added that Newcastle have been charged “for failing to control their players in relation to their reaction to the match referee’s decision”.

The club have until 6pm on Friday to respond to the charge.