Marouane Fellaini could face up to 9-game ban for Shawcross headbutt

Everton's Marouane Fellaini is sweating on a call from the FA today (Monday) as he faces up to a possible NINE-match ban.

David Moyes is still fuming with Fellaini after he was involved in THREE separate clashes with Stoke skipper Ryan Shawcross in Saturday’s 1-1 draw.

And the Toffees boss is set to hit him with a £150,000 fine - the maximum two weeks’ wages - as punishment.

The worst of them was a blatant headbutt towards the Potters defender - yet each incident went unpunished by referee Mark Halsey.

Fellaini, who ended the game without even a booking, is almost certain to be hit with a three-match ban for the headbutt alone - ruling him out of the games with West Ham, Wigan and Chelsea.

Fellaini issued a grovelling apology on Saturday night, admitting: “I have no excuses.”

But the FA have the power to cite for more than one offence and his apology will not spare him, with even Moyes already braced for retrospective action.

Replays also appeared to show Fellaini elbow Shawcross in a second clash and then hit the defender with an open-hand smash in the third confrontation.

Fellaini could be hit with an extended ban if the referee admits to missing the other incidents when he is shown the evidence via a video link today.

The forward came in for stinging criticism on Match of the Day with Mirror Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson describing Fellaini’s actions as an “act of thuggery,” adding: “He might get six, nine games - you never know.”

There is a precedent - Joey Barton was banned for 12 matches for three incidents in QPR’s final-day showdown with Manchester City last term.

He was red carded for an off-the-ball clash with Carlos Tevez before further run-ins with Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany.

Furious Tony Pulis has questioned whether Fellaini’s foul play would have gone unpunished against the big boys.

Fellaini’s extraordinary escape came just days after the Potters boss had contacted referees’ chief Mike Riley to complain his players are being unfairly targeted.

Pulis let rip at Riley after Chelsea’s David Luiz and Aston Villa’s Ciaran Clark escaped punishment for challenges on Jon Walters and Glenn Whelan respectively.

“I would have liked to have seen (the outcome if) that incident happened to a few other clubs,” said Pulis, whose team have the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League.

“And a few other players at those clubs.”

Meanwhile, Manchester City defender Aleksander Kolarov was last night facing a police investigation after a complaint of racist abuse during Saturday’s Newcastle clash.

The allegation came after Serbia international Kolarov exchanged words with Magpies supporters waving an Albanian flag while he was warming up on the sidelines.

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Source: DailyMirror