The player was given a 3 match ban and fined £60,000 for entering the referee’s dressing room and using threatening and/or abusive words and/or behaviour against Mark Clattenburg after the Chelsea v Manchester United match on 28 October.

In reaching its decision the regulatory commission stated that, but for the fact that Mikel  believed he had been racially abused, the suspension would have been “significantly longer.”

Prospect National Secretary Alan Leighton expressed dismay at the leniency of the sentence: “For entering the referee’s dressing room and threatening and intimidating the referee to the extent that he feared for his safety, the penalty was no longer than had the player been sent off for serious foul play. This did absolutely nothing to further the Respect campaign.”

Leighton added that far too much weight had been given to the mitigating factor and that Mikel’s behaviour merited a strong deterrent penalty.

Leighton noted that the FA’s decision came a few days after the tragic incident in Holland where an assistant referee had been killed by youth players.

“It is vital that officials are given real respect and this decision regrettably gave entirely the wrong message. A player in parks football found guilty of  behaviour like Mikel’s would have faced a long-term ban,” said Leighton.