Monday, 18th March, 2013
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has made clear that Callum McManaman’s tackle on Newcastle defender Massaido Haidara was just an ‘accident’ and things like that happen in football.
The chairman attested he experienced the same when he broke his leg, and consequently halted his career, during the 1960 FA Cup final for Blackburn. “When I broke my leg in the cup final it was exactly the same type of tackle”, Whelan said to the BBC. “We both went for the ball. It ruined my career [but] I am not going to criticise Norman Deeley.”
“These things happen in football”, the chairman added.
McManaman was making his first Premier League start for Wigan. He managed to get a touch to the ball before he connected with Haidara. Live footage showed the hit was straight on the Frenchman’s knee, which saw him stretchered off after receiving lengthy treatment from the club’s health staff.
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Newcastle manager Alan Pardew slammed the tackle, saying it was ‘awful’. “I’ve got a boy going to the hospital and that’s a worse feeling than losing”, he said.
However, Wigan chairman Whelan said that despite the severity of the challenge, it wasn’t made with bad intent. “There is not one ounce of malice in Callum McManaman. He is an enthusiastic young boy. He has got great prospects. He was very upset by it all.”
McManaman is now subject to retrospective action from the English Football Association.
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