Cambridge United head coach Mark Bonner says the £2,500 fines handed to the U’s and Town for the clash between players after the final whistle in the recent game between the teams at Portman Road were “extortionate”.

The clubs admitted an FA charge of failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion with the fine announced on Tuesday.

However, Bonner, whose side won the match 1-0, felt the incident was a storm in a tea cup and the fines “an extortionate amount of money for an element of nothing really after the game”.

He told CambridgeshireLive: “We certainly won’t appeal it. That would only mean the money will go higher. It was a really competitive game with an incredible atmosphere where the intensity of the home team towards the end was high because they felt they had a goal wrongly disallowed, which proved not to be the case.

“The only wrongly disallowed goal in that game was ours in the first half. There was just an explosion of emotion at full-time. There was one team delighted and one team frustrated.

“Everyone shouts at everybody for five seconds on the halfway line, then disappears [down the tunnel] and celebrates or moans in the dressing room afterwards. That’s football.

“You don’t want to see unsavoury scenes and you don’t want ill-discipline, you don’t want a lack of respect in certain things but we have to look at reality. It’s a competition. A few people having an argument on a football pitch, it’s hardly too dramatic. The FA will enjoy their end of season with £5,000 in the pot I’m sure.”

Photo: Matchday Images

hoppy added 09:56 - Apr 15 “…home team towards the end was high because they felt they had a goal wrongly disallowed, which proved not to be the case. “The only wrongly disallowed goal in that game was ours in the first half.“ I suppose that's one way of looking at it.. just not the correct way.
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Suffolkboy added 10:31 - Apr 15 Emotions of enthusiasm , disappointment - at losing, winning , personal performance , even opponents actions , non- retribution , performance of officials etc ,the list can go on ! BUT without these sort of feelings the game and all sport would become rapidly colourless - and that we do not wish . So ‘punishment ‘ is always on the cards and just as discipline in the home or at school is occasionally necessary one hopes the FA and their committees and officials will get things into perspective : but it won't necessarily be so ! COYB

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Ely_Blue added 10:50 - Apr 15 Maybe if his team were such a bunch of sh!thousers it wouldn't have come to that
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Karlosfandangal added 11:02 - Apr 15 Or get the player to pay the fine as they earn that each week at least and were the ones arguing at the end
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PhilTWTD added 16:15 - Apr 15 hoppy Not sure he's wrong, to be honest, our goal was definitely offside and theirs didn't appear to be when you look back at it.
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