During the FA Cup match between Preston and Burnley, it was alleged that Preston forward Milutin Osmajic made a racist remark towards Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri.
The incident, which took place during the match on February 15, had been under investigation by the English Football Association (FA).
Osmajic has now been officially charged, and he has until March 25 to respond. Regarding the incident, the FA released the following statement:
“It’s alleged that the forward acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words towards an opposing player contrary to FA Rule E3.1.”
It was further stated that the violation constituted an “aggravated breach” as it involved “a reference, whether express or implied, to colour and/or race.” However, Osmajic denied the allegations.
In the second match of the knockout stage, Burnley players refused to shake hands with Osmajic. Additionally, Hannibal was left out of the squad. Preston went on to win the match 3-0, with Osmajic scoring his team’s second goal.
Burnley’s head coach, Scott Parker, commented on Hannibal’s absence, saying:
“It was a tough decision, and we came here slightly weakened because Hannibal is a very important player for this team. I didn’t want to put him in such a situation, so we made the best decision for Hannibal, which was to leave him out of the matchday squad.”
Following the initial incident, Hannibal posted a message on Instagram, stating:
“I will not be silent about what happened today. I will always call out racism whenever I hear or see it. That is the only way we change as a sport and as a society. I am a strong person, but no one should have to experience this disgusting abuse on the pitch.”
In October, Osmajic had already been handed an eight-match ban by the FA for biting Blackburn’s Owen Beck. He was also fined £15,000 for violent conduct.
If these latest allegations are proven true, Osmajic could face even harsher sanctions.