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Clattenburg: Kane could be punished for Chelsea headbutt

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Image for Clattenburg: Kane could be punished for Chelsea headbutt

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has said that Harry Kane can expect to find himself in trouble with the FA after appearing to try and headbutt Cesar Azpilicueta in their defeat to Chelsea.

The England striker was involved in the flashpoint with the Spanish defender and seemed to move his head towards his opponent, although there was little contact made between the pair.

With no punishment handed out on the night, Clattenburg has said that Kane should have seen red and that the FA could well hand him a retrospective ban for his actions.

He wrote in his Daily Mail column: “Harry Kane can count himself lucky not to have been sent off on Wednesday. The Tottenham striker deliberately moved his head towards the Chelsea captain. There looked to be minimal contact with Azpilicueta but it does not matter how severe it was.

“Fortunately for Kane, Azpilicueta did not make a meal of it. The incident seemed to be missed by the match officials and the FA could now take retrospective action against Kane.

“He was at the centre of another flashpoint deep into stoppage time as Tottenham tried to get back into the game, but it was nothing more than handbags.”

Opinion

After coming back from his serious injury a lot quicker than expected, Tottenham fans would have no doubt been excited at the prospect of Kane firing them to success. Instead his return has coincided in two consecutive league defeats and now he has this controversial incident hanging over his head. It is not in Kane’s nature to get embroiled in petty disagreements on the pitch so perhaps Wednesday night was showing just how frustrated he and his teammates are at their recent form. Regardless of how the team have performed since his early return, losing him to a ban – which would likely be three games for a headbutt – would still be a significant blow. With their top four rivals sensing that Spurs might be there for the taking, they need their top stars in the team and firing on all cylinders and so Kane’s absence would be a bitter pill to swallow. Nervy times for the Lilywhites.

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