No mercy: Banned Super Eagles star’s plea falls on Appeal Committee’s deaf ears

The Football Association of the Czech Republic's Appeals Committee has rejected Nigerian winger Peter Olayinka‘s appeal against his four-match suspension for headbutting an opponent and being sent off during a league match in Liberec.

Olayinka, a key player for Slavia Prague, will now miss the highly anticipated Prague derby against Sparta on April 15.

During the 24th league round, Olayinka fell in the penalty area after a confrontation with Liberec midfielder Ivan Varfolomejev and demanded a penalty. Defender Gigli Ndefe then came to scold him for what he believed was a simulation, and Olayinka headbutted him. The referee, Miroslav Zelinka, gave Olayinka a straight red card, and Slavia lost the lead, eventually drawing 2-2 in Liberec.

The Disciplinary Commission of the League Football Association awarded Olayinka a four-match suspension for his actions, which applies to three league matches against Olomouc, Mladá Boleslav, and Sparta, as well as the semi-final of the domestic cup against Bohemians 1905. Slavia appealed against the decision, but the FAČR appeals commission upheld it, and the decision stands.

Furthermore, Slavia's appeal against the club's punishment for the fans' behaviour during their recent home clash with Pilsen also failed. The disciplinary commission fined Slavia a quarter of a million crowns for the massive use of pyrotechnics by their fans and conditionally closed the sectors in the northern stand, where the “boiler” is located, for one competitive match with a two-month trial period.

Jan Malý, the commission chairman, said that the appeal commission found the LFA disciplinary commission's decision correct in both cases. They fully agreed with the reasons for the decision. Malý added that the commission considered the punishments to be reasonable.

The derby between Sparta and Slavia is the highlight of the 27th league round. The bitter city rivals are locked on the same points – 54 – after 24 rounds of matches.