Crystal Palace’s Christantus Uche Escapes FA Punishment After Everton Incident

Crystal Palace midfielder Christantus Uche will not face any retrospective punishment from the Football Association (FA) following his clash with Everton defender James Tarkowski last Sunday.

The Nigerian international appeared to jab Tarkowski in the stomach shortly after coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute of Palace’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at Goodison Park.

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg explained why Uche is unlikely to be sanctioned.

“Christantus Uche is unlikely to face any retrospective action after appearing to punch James Tarkowski on Sunday,” Clattenburg told We Are Palace.

He added that the incident was checked by VAR and was not judged serious enough to warrant a red card.

“The FA do not re-referee matches when incidents are seen by the match officials, which now includes VAR.

I do believe, however, that VAR should have recommended a review for a red card for violent conduct,” he said.

Clattenburg further noted that before the introduction of VAR, the FA could have acted retrospectively if such incidents were missed by the officials.

Tarkowski’s calm reaction during the incident is believed to have helped prevent a harsher decision, which could have seen Uche sent off and handed a three-match ban.

Uche, who joined Crystal Palace on loan from La Liga side Getafe, has had limited playing time this season, featuring for just 52 minutes across three appearances in all competitions.

He is currently in South Africa with the Super Eagles’ training camp as Nigeria prepare for their final two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin.