Mauricio Pochettino has said that Tottenham will not appeal the charge levied on Moussa Sissoko by the FA.
Sissoko caught fellow midfielder Arter in the face with his elbow in the second half of Spurs’ 0-0 Premier League draw with the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium, in what looked to be a deliberate action. He was later charged by the FA for violent conduct for the incident that neither referee Craig Pawson nor his fellow officials spotted at the time.
Spurs can appeal the charge, and have until 1800 on Tuesday to do so, but according to the BBC, Mauricio Pochettino has now confirmed that they will choose to accept the charge.
“I need to say the elbow was in the face of Arter and it is clear,” said Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino on Monday. “We accept the charge and now to move forward and three games suspended.”
The French midfielder, who joined Tottenham Hotspur in the summer from Newcastle on a five-year deal for £30 million, was visibly frustrated in an ill-tempered match that saw multiple incidents. Things were threatening to boil over towards the end of the first half, and in the second half Victor Wanyama was at the centre of an argument between players from both sides.
Soon after, Sissoko lost his cool and in a tussle for the ball with Arter, flung an elbow into the Bournemouth midfielder’s face. The incident went unnoticed by Craig Pawson and his assistants, but Harry Arter reacted angrily immediately after the incident as both sets of players clashed on the pitch.
The ban means the midfielder will now miss the North London derby, when Tottenham travel to the Emirates to face neighbours Arsenal on 6th November. It also means that Sissoko will miss another derby against compatriot Dmitri Payet’s West Ham side.