IF Gnistan want Ghanaian defender Edmund Arko-Mensah two-match suspension rescinded by the Finnish Football Association’s disciplinary committee

The 25-year-old defender was given his marching orders from the pitch following an altercation with an opponent during their away demolition to elite division rivals in the Finnish top-flight over the weekend

Finnish Veikkausliiga side IF Gnistan have called on the Finnish Football Association’s disciplinary committee to overturn the two-match suspension imposed on Ghanaian left-back Arko-Mensah after receiving a straight red card during their 0-4 away defeat to HJK Helsinki in the Veikkausliiga on Saturday.

The ex-FC Honka full-back was alleged to have spat on his HJK opponent Mads Borchers during a verbal altercation on the field. However, the referee captured the incident in his match report and eventually the former Wa All Stars defender was handed his ban for two games by the football regulatory body disciplinary committee.

ln a statement released by his side, the Spark hierarchy have argued that since the player in question ( Mads Borchers) could not substantiate his claims as to whether he was indeed spat at by the former Ghana U23 star during the verbal melee, then there is the need for the ”Football Association disciplinary committee to reassess the situation and overturn the two-match suspension imposed on Arko-Mensah”.

”Arko-Mensah received a straight red card in a local match in Helsinki on Saturday, October 17th, in a situation where he got into a verbal altercation with HJK Mads Borchers . In IF Gnistan’s view, there was no intentional spitting. The players were face to face very close to each other, and when Arko-Mensah shouted, spit accidentally flew out of his mouth. Gnistan players who were in the immediate vicinity of the situation can confirm that Arko-Mensah did not make a spitting motion towards the opponent. Borchers was also unable to confirm in the post-match interview with Ruudu that Arko-Mensah had spat at him.”

Club’s manager Jussi Leppälahti added to his club’s website: ”I hope that big sentences would not be given without grounds. The judges are in a really difficult place doing their best, let’s hope that justice prevails.

”IF Gnistan considers it important that such serious disciplinary sanctions are based on clear evidence. The club accepts the referee’s decision in the match as valid, but believes that the available evidence does not indicate intentional spitting.

”IF Gnistan requests the Finnish Football Association’s disciplinary committee to reassess the situation and overturn the two-match suspension imposed on Arko-Mensah.”