Burnley players refuse to shake hands with Preston’s Milutin Osmajic before FA Cup tie | OneFootball

Burnley’s FA Cup fifth round match with Preston North End began in a controversial manner as the entire Burnley starting XI refused to shake hands with Preston striker Milutin Osmajic.

Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri accused Osmajic of racially abusing him when the two clubs played out a 0-0 draw in the Championship on 15 February, though the Montenegro forward refutes the allegations.

And during the pre-match handshakes between the two starting teams, Osmajic was rejected when trying to shake hands with his opposition, before eventually walking across the rest of the line without interacting with anyone.

Osmajic scored in the second half of the match to put Preston 2-0 up, and he initially celebrated by cupping his hands around his ears before he was congratulated by his teammates.

While Osmajic was named in the starting side at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon, Hannibal was left out of the squad entirely by Burnley manager Scott Parker.

Speaking in the lead-up to the match, Parker had confirmed that the Tunisian was fit, but he had chosen to leave him out anyway in order to “protect” him.

“Fundamentally I need to protect Hannibal and make sure of the right decision,” Parker told BBC before kick-off. “We come here a bit weakened today because Hannibal is a vitally important member of this squad, and I felt it was the best decision.

“I wouldn't want to put him in a situation here, so we have made the decision for the best for Hannibal. That is why he is not in the matchday squad."

22-year-old Mejbri joined Burnley last summer from Manchester United in a deal that could be worth up to £9.4m, having spent time in the Red Devils’ youth sides and senior team.

He has made 28 appearances for the Clarets so far this season, registering two assists.