Hendon captain Kevin Maclaren has been banned for the whole of next season, while his brother Casey Maclaren will not be able to play until February after an attack on a Wingate & Finchley fan.
Hendon hosted local rivals Wingate in a Ryman League Premier Division derby on December 27, winning 3-1 – but the match was overshadowed by events off the field after the final whistle.
It is alleged that an argument in the bar resulted in Kevin Maclaren attacking Wingate’s community development officer Mike Bayly, with Casey Maclaren throwing a punch in the ensuing melee.
After an FA hearing, both brothers have been found guilty of breaching Rule E3, relating to violent conduct. Because the charges were ‘non-standard’, they have been suspended from all football activity until August 1 2016 and February 1 2016 respectively, while being fined £250 each plus £100 costs. They will both appeal.
Hendon Football Club were found guilty of breaching Rule E20 relating to the behaviour of their players and/or supporters, being fined £600. They will not appeal.
Connor Maclaren, who plays for Banstead Athletic but was at the match, admitted being involved and was banned until July 1 and fined £150.
The fine given to Hendon and the suspensions handed out to the Maclarens could have been more severe, but the FA took the good disciplinary record of the club and the individuals into account and reduced the punishments.
Hendon chairman Simon Lawrence said: “They have been Hendon players for a very long time and they are competitive footballers. Away from the pitch they are as good as gold and have shown immense loyalty to the club and manager [Gary McCann].
“We aren’t going to do anything to prejudice their appeals – we’ll let it go to its natural conclusion. Hopefully they will be successful.
“The commission was very professional but the outcome and sanctions weren’t what we were hoping for. We have to trust the appeal is not going to be a box-ticking exercise and that all the evidence will be considered.
“It is not the kind of incident you wanted Hendon FC to be involved in. It is extremely regrettable.”
The FA report of the alleged incident states that members of the Maclaren family, including the players’ sister, were at the centre of “a heated discussion...between the two sets of supporters” and “took exception to what a Wingate & Finchley fan had said”.
According to eyewitnesses, Kevin Maclaren – who had been outside at this point – was told that the Wingate fans were “slagging [him] off” and then launched a “totally unprovoked attack” on Mr Bayly.
Oral evidence stated that Kevin Maclaren charged into the bar, jumped over furniture and assaulted Mr Bayly from behind, punching him five times in the head, pulling him backwards over a sofa and putting his coat over his head.
An eyewitness then reported that Kevin Maclaren left the bar while members of his family including Casey Maclaren “viciously assaulted Mr Bayly while he was defenceless”. The hearing saw video footage of this second attack, recorded on a mobile phone.
It is alleged Mr Bayly was left with “lacerations across his head, blood from his eye and a large protuding bruise from one of his eyes”.
The hearing was told that that he had been too scared to go to the police and would not come forward to the FA. He was not present to give evidence, having quit his job and moved to the north of England.
Kevin Maclaren stated that his sister had told him that their father was being attacked in the bar, and that he rushed in to see a man facing his father with a glass in his hand, before pulling him away.
He denied striking Mr Bayly, claiming he tried to pull him away – as did Casey Maclaren, who submitted that his alleged punch on the video footage was consistent with the motion of trying to pull people away in the melee, rather than an attempt to strike a blow.
The members of the FA Regulatory Commission rejected the Maclaren brothers’ insistence that they were acting as peacemakers.
They also rejected Hendon’s argument that the Maclaren family were not followers or supporters of the club – it had been suggested they were there to support the brothers, not the team, and manager Gary McCann stated they were not regular attendees.
The charges against the club and the players were therefore deemed to be proven, after unanimous decisions by the FA commission.
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