Tottenham striker Harry Kane let off the hook for Chelsea headbutt ‘because he’s England captain’, claims Tony Cascarino
The 25-year-old is free to play in the north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday after escaping further punishment for the incident at Stamford Bridge
Tony Cascarino believes Harry Kane avoided retrospective action for his headbutt on Wednesday night because he is England captain.
The Tottenham striker appeared to put his head towards Cesar Azpilicueta during the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, but the Football Association was unable to act because the incident was seen by match officials at the time.
Kane is subsequently free to play in the north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday after escaping any potential ban for violent conduct, which could have been up to three games.
And talkSPORT host Cascarino, writing in his column for , believes the FA have shown an element of bias towards the national team skipper.
"The FA is protecting its own interests by showing leniency to Harry Kane," Cascarino said. "If they can be a little lenient to England’s captain, then of course they are going to be.
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"I think the FA has realised over the years that it makes sense to avoid confrontation with their best players.
"A three-game ban would have been excessive but it was ungentlemanly conduct and he did deserve a slap on the wrist. I think the maximum punishment could have been a one-match ban.
"I certainly think if it had been another player without the same prestige or importance to England then they would have been made an example of by the FA."
Meanwhile, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino downplayed the incident and insisted it was just a mark of Kane's competitive edge.
“I think he’s so competitive on the pitch,” boss Pochettino said of Kane. “We were frustrated, we want to win, we show our character.
“Things that happen that we don’t know because it’s impossible from outside the pitch to see what is going on inside. But that is football.
“It’s not a thing we should be worried about. When you finish the game and shake hands, big hug and the game finishes and it’s finished.”