Will Hannibal Mejbri and Milutin Osmajic play in Preston v Burnley FA Cup tie amid racism claim?
Burnley manager Scott Parker said he needed to play midfielder Hannibal Mejbri in the fifth round of the FA Cup in rival Preston North End on Saturday, and he needed to “think hard.”
Less than two weeks ago, Hannibal accused Preston forward Milutin Osmajic of racial abuse A champion without a championship Between both sides.
Preston said Montenegro International Osmajik “strongly refuted” these claims.
The Football Association investigation is not expected to end before Saturday’s game, meaning both players can be held in the Lancashire Derby in Deepdale.
“It’s tough and I need to think hard,” Parker said in a pre-match press conference on Thursday.
“Basically, I want to protect Hannibal, but why did he miss it? This is a decision I have to make.
“I will make the best decision for Hannibal, explain the situation and see where he is comfortable. I will have these conversations on Friday morning.”
Meanwhile, Preston’s boss Paul Heckingbottom suggested he hadn’t considered the idea of keeping Osmajic out, and when asked if he was taking the “innocent until proven guilty” approach, Hecken Butom replied “yes, exactly 100%.
The Preston boss added: “My comments on what happened and the many consequences after the game and people’s comments demeaned the serious incidents of what was said.
“Scott (Parker) said it well in the face of some bad doubts. The agenda and people don’t understand the situation, but now it’s a football game for us, and that’s gone, and people are dealing with it.”
The FA is still investigating the incident and conducting interviews with two players, several club staff and any witnesses. If convicted, Osmajik faces Minimum tires Six games.
Burnley will be allocating all 5,600 KOP booths behind a goal in Deepdale, but ticket sales for home fans seem to be slow, with thousands of seats still available when the BBC Sport checked on Thursday.
The fixture was broadcast live two weeks ago but kicked in front of nearly 20,000 supporters on 23,400 capacity ground.
Saturday’s game will be live on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport websites.
After the report of racism in the last game “in the crowd”, Lancashire Police said they will, like all other fixtures, conduct a “full risk assessment” of “appropriate policing plans”.
