Sunderland to set out 'mitigating circumstances' in response to FA charges following Oxford United controversy

The FA finally announced their course of action on Tuesday, after altercations in the Stadium of Light tunnel at both half and full time of the game.

Both clubs have been hit with charges, while Sunderland assistant Jamie McAllister and Oxford boss Karl Robinson are facing individual charges.

Both Sunderland and Oxford have been charged with breaches of FA Rule E20 – which states that they ‘failed to ensure their players and/or club officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour around the tunnel area’.

McAllister and Robinson, meanwhile, have been charged with breaches of FA Rule E3. The FA allege that the conduct of Robinson at full-time and of McAllister at half-time amounts to ‘improper and/or violent conduct.’

"[We'll accept] some of them," Johnson said.

"I think there's definitely mitigating circumstances within those.

"We will put our case over and the guys at the football club have been fantastic in how they've gone through it really thoroughly.

"They've been impartial while also working for us and there's CCTV, and stuff like that.

"I've not massively been involved in but I know Kristjaan and Ray have been hugely involved in this and hopefully we'll come out of it with a slap on the wrist, which is probably what we deserve at most.

"It was a slight overreaction to a particular incident but the players were outstanding in all of it so I'd be disappointed if anything come of it as a club."

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