Fulham striker Barry Hayles could pull on a Fulham shirt for the final
time this season at Newcastle, due to the six-match ban hanging over his
head for a double violent conduct charge which could also rob him of an
FA Cup final appearance.
The Cottagers' 11-goal top scorer faces his first Football Association
disciplinary hearing tomorrow, when a guilty verdict on his November 3
bust-up with West Ham's Hayden Foxe could land him with a three-match
ban.
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Fulham striker Barry Hayles
faces 6 match ban by F.A disciplinary hearing on Tuesday |
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A date has yet to be set for the decision on Hayles' kick at Everton
skipper David Weir - but if that hearing is held before the May 4 cup
final and Hayles is found guilty and given a second suspension, he could
face the heartbreak of being suspended for the showpiece occasion.
Fulham take on Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park on Sunday,
so victory over their west London rivals would secure a place in the Millennium
Stadium showdown and leave carpenter-turned-footballer Hayles sweating
on the FA's probe into the December 8 incident involving Weir.
The governing body have offered Mohamed Al Fayed's club a range of dates
before May 11 for the second hearing, but no concrete time and place have
as yet been confirmed.
If Hayles is found guilty on either charge, Fulham could delay his ban
by appealing.
Hayles, asked if the worst-case scenario was an FA Cup Final ban, admitted:
"Yes, definitely. I just want to play as much as possible and score
some goals to help us stay up and get through to the final.
"I've got a date for one of the hearings - the one about West Ham
and Hayden Foxe. After that, I'll know one of the hearings is out of the
way and then I'll concentrate on the other one."
The FA plan a revamp of their disciplinary procedures next season, significantly
speeding up the often vast delays in bringing offences to book.
Fulham are privately angry the Hayles double-probe has dragged on for
so long, but the FA point to a backlog of high-profile cases over the
last two months for the reason behind the time-lapse.