PFA chief labels Hazard ´unprofessional´

Chelsea attacker Eden Hazard has been branded ‘unprofessional’ by Professional Footballers’ Association chairman Gordon Taylor.

The Football Association is reviewing footage of Hazard kicking at a Swansea ball-boy during Wednesday’s League Cup second leg at Liberty Stadium.

Hazard was sent off after struggling to retrieve the ball from the 17-year-old before appearing to make contact with the youngster when attempting to free the ball.

Hazard will not face criminal action after ball-boy Charlie Morgan and his father, Swansea director Martin Morgan, decided not to press charges, but Taylor condemned the Belgian’s actions.

“You can’t put a youngster at risk, no matter if he’s trying to keep the ball,” he told Sky Sports News.

“The referee acted accordingly. There’s a procedure in place. He was sent off and could now suffer a three-match ban. That’s the message that’s got to go out.

“It’s unacceptable, it can’t happen. It’s unprofessional. You can’t take the law into your own hands.”

The chairman of the Football League Greg Clarke also criticised the Chelsea attacker, but feels Charlie Morgan and Swansea as a club have to answer to criticism.

“I think both sides have to look at themselves hard,” Clarke said.

“There’s never an excuse for inflicting violence on anybody else. We don’t want to see footballers allegedly kicking a ball-boy but we do want to see the ball returned in a timely fashion.

“We’ll have to look at both sides of it and the FA, I’m sure, will do that in a calm and professional way.

“If the ball had been returned this situation would probably have never arisen but it’s never the right thing for players to take these matters into their own hands.”

Hazard and Morgan apologised to each other in Chelsea’s dressing room after the game, with the player also issuing a public apology on the club’s website.