Toon demand De Jong action

Newcastle have called on the Football Association to take action against Nigel de Jong over the tackle which saw Hatem Ben Arfa suffer a double leg break.

The Manchester City midfielder left the Magpies man with a broken tibia and fibula following his crunching challenge in the opening moments of Sunday's Premier League clash at Eastlands.

Ben Arfa left the field on a stretcher and has since undergone surgery on his injuries amid concerns the on-loan Marseille midfielder could be out until March.

Referee Martin Atkinson did not take any action at the time, and did not even deem the incident to be a foul, a decision which infuriated Toon boss Chris Hughton.

The North East outfit have now made their feelings clear to the game's governing body in a bid to see retrospective action taken against the Holland international.

Excessive force

A club statement said: "Newcastle United have today written a strongly worded letter to the Football Association in relation to the tackle by Manchester City's Nigel de Jong on Hatem Ben Arfa in Sunday's Premier League fixture, which resulted in Ben Arfa sustaining a broken tibia and fibula of his left leg.

"The club has asked the FA for the appropriate action to be taken against De Jong for the tackle which, in the club's opinion, was unnecessary and used excessive force."

De Jong, who escaped unpunished after a chest-high challenge on Spain's Xabi Alonso during the World Cup final, has already been axed by Holland boss Bert van Marwijk over the incident.

Newcastle have also called on referees' chiefs to investigate the performance of the officials in the game, during which they conceded a controversial penalty and were denied what they believe should have been a spot-kick of their own in addition to the Ben Arfa incident.

The statement continued: "Newcastle United will also be writing to the appropriate body regarding the performance of the match officials, specifically the referee, in relation to a number of incidents during the game, including the tackle on Ben Arfa."


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