Preston North End midfielder Jordan Thompson faces potential disciplinary action from the Football Association (FA) following a controversial incident during the recent match against Norwich City at Carrow Road. The Northern Ireland international, visibly frustrated after being substituted in the 65th minute of Preston's 2-0 defeat, kicked a water bottle that inadvertently struck a Norwich supporter.
In the aftermath, Thompson, 29, quickly raised his hand in apology and engaged briefly with nearby Norwich fans, a gesture that did not go unnoticed. Reports this week indicate that the FA is reviewing the incident, with Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom confirming that the governing body has already contacted the club regarding the matter.
Heckingbottom stated, “Yeah, we’ll be expecting him to be charged. The fourth official and the officials didn’t see it. They spoke to me about it during the game, so I spoke to Jordan after, and we went in to see the ref. They said, ‘Yeah, look, we’ve just got to report it.’ So, the FA have been in touch, and we’re expecting some sort of charge. It depends when it comes (as to whether he will be available against Stoke on Friday night). I don’t know, just got to wait and see.”
Although the incident escaped the attention of referee Gavin Ward during the match, it was later highlighted on Sky Sports Ref Watch. Former referee Dermot Gallagher noted that Thompson was fortunate to avoid immediate punishment, suggesting he would have faced a red card had the officials witnessed the incident.
Heckingbottom expressed understanding for Thompson’s frustration, saying, “It’s really unfortunate… there’s no intent there whatsoever. Everyone’s frustrated. Frustrations are shown in far bigger ways than that. It's just when it's in front of people that you'll question, is it a frustration? Jordan would be like that if I brought him off in any game, whether we were winning or losing. One of the big things was he didn’t feel it was a foul for the second goal when he won that header. So there were lots of things involved in that. Everyone wants to play, but even more so, everyone wants to win and that’s the thing. When you’re winning, everything’s easy. When you’re not, you can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.”
As Preston North End prepares for their next match against Stoke City, the club awaits further information from the FA regarding Thompson's status, leaving the midfielder's participation uncertain as the fixture approaches.