Cabaye facing up to an FA TV ban (From The Northern Echo)

Cabaye facing up to an FA TV ban

11:32am Tuesday 31st January 2012 in Newcastle United News By Paul Fraser, Chief Football Writer

ALAN PARDEW will make one final push to bolster Newcastle United’s defensive options today and has the unwanted distraction of a disciplinary charge hanging over Yohan Cabaye.

The Frenchman has until 6pm to respond to a charge of violent conduct after being punished retrospectively for an incident during Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup fourth round defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.

He is alleged to have stamped on Brighton’s Adam El-Abd after a crunching challenge and referee Lee Probert has since indicated to the Football Association that he would have issued a red card had he seen it.

Now Newcastle must decide whether to risk the possibility of the three-match ban he would be hit with, if found guilty, being extended to four.

As things stand, Cabaye is likely to miss tomorrow night’s trip to Blackburn and the following fixtures with Aston Villa and Tottenham.

If Newcastle contest the decision, there is a strong chance the ban would be extended to four matches and that would start with Saturday’s visit of Villa and end after Sunderland have travelled to St James’ Park.

Losing Cabaye for the Tyne- Wear derby is likely to weigh on Pardew’s mind, even if the Newcastle boss felt there “was no malice” in his player’s actions.

Pardew, who will brief the media this afternoon on the latest transfer developments, could have done without having to deal with the disciplinary charge.

He is still hoping a deadline day deal can be concluded for Watford defender Adrian Mariappa and fresh contact with Vicarage Road officials is believed to have been made last night.

The Hornets are understood to have been open to selling the centre-back before tonight’s 11pm deadline, but are intent on receiving what they think is a fair price.

And Newcastle’s hopes of signing him for around the £2m mark appear to have been dashed by the interest from Swansea City and Tottenham.

That has led to Watford increasing the asking price over the last ten days. They accept they are unlikely to get £4m for him, but could still do a deal for around the £2.5m mark.

If Newcastle are not getting anywhere with the Watford board then they will explore alternative options. Those include Montpellier’s Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, 22, who has regularly been watched by the club’s scouting team.

Sources close to the club, though, claim there is no significant interest in Danish teenage prospect Jore Okore.

It promises to be a busy day for Pardew, who is also expected to welcome new signing Papiss Cisse back to the club’s Benton training HQ.

Cisse and compatriot Demba Ba are due on Tyneside after Senegal’s early Africa Cup of Nations exit, culminating in Sunday’s defeat to Libya. They will be assessed today and Pardew must then decide whether to take them Ewood Park tomorrow night.

Cisse is yet to play for Newcastle since his £9m move from Freiburg. And Ba, speaking before he left Africa, said: “He is a proper goal scorer. It’s a good signing for Newcastle - he’s going to help us achieve something we want to achieve.

“The rest of my season is about Newcastle – so we [he and Cisse] are going to do everything for them and forget about what has happened here.”

Suggestions remain that Ba could be sold before the transfer window closes tonight because of a clause which exists in his contract.

But the 27-year-old is not thinking about leaving. He said: “The position is still the same – it hasn’t changed. I’m just going back there to play the rest of the season. Hopefully as well as I played before.”