FA punishment calls for Burnley player emerge after Leeds United win | OneFootball

Noel Egan has called for action to be taken on Mejbri after his Leeds United controversy at the weekend.

Burnley's new signing, Hannibal Mejbri, should be punished for his actions against Leeds United, according to former FIFA official Noel Egan.

The Tunisian midfielder played in Burnley's 1-0 victory at Elland Road on Saturday but was substituted off in the 73rd minute for Josh Cullen. Whilst exiting the field of play, Mejbri was seen taunting the Leeds faithful by gesturing towards them. The ex-Manchester United man undoubtedly enjoyed getting one over on his former club's big rivals.

He followed this up with an Instagram post after the match, which further ruffled feathers. The caption of the post read: "Always good to play those types of games, even better when you bring the three points home". This has led to Egan stating in an interview with MOT Leeds News that this sort of behaviour needs "to be cut out."

Mejbri riled up Leeds fans in the narrow victory

Mind games are part and parcel of football, but Mejbri's behaviour on Saturday leaves the question of whether the midfielder overstepped the mark. The man who signed forBurnley three weeks before the clash was keen to impress early doors for Scott Parker's side, and while he may not have been able to do so on the pitch, he certainly had an impact off the pitch.When he was withdrawn for Cullen towards the end of the game, the visitors were leading 1-0 thanks to Luca Koleosho's 18th-minute strike. Having to make the long trudge around the pitch to the away dugout, Mejbri saw this as a chance to gesture to the already frustrated Elland Road crowd.This may be seen as just a simple wind-up, but further angering hoards of Leeds fans could pose serious safety repercussions. The following post on social media added fuel to the fire and the Tunisian international will be in for a frosty reception in the reverse fixture.

Egan calls for FA action on Burnley star

It's fair to say that Egan has been around the block when it comes to football. In a recent interview, the ex-FIFA official called for the FA to act on Mejbri's behaviour, citing it as "a step too far."

Speaking with MOT Leeds News, Egan said: "I thought that was an example of a player taking things a step too far. Unfortunately, when you have 30,000-plus spectators berating a player of the opposition it is very difficult to identify the exact perpetrators.

"However, they are doing it now when it comes to things like racial slurs. They’re able to focus on individuals and lip-read what is being said these days. When that occurs, fans are getting stadium bans."

Of course, with spectators berating the 21-year-old, the player may well feel aggrieved by this. Some players relish the heckling or at least block it out, but for an inexperienced player like Mejbri to clap back at the fans should yield consequences according to Egan.

"Therefore, whether the referee saw it or not, I think the Football Association need to deal with this matter because that kind of behaviour has to be cut out."

Mejbri's actions could have repercussions

If the FA were to investigate the events of Saturday's match, they would need sufficient evidence of the player going too far to impose any sort of punishment on the youngster.

If found to be guilty, this could see the 21-year-old maybe serve some sort of ban, or potentially be fined for misconduct. Either way, it's a headache that both the club and the player wouldn't want.

Referee James Bell didn't take any action on the day, but Egan believes that referees should be more alert to this type of behaviour in the future, stating: "Absolutely the referees should be intervening in a situation like that."