Footballer slapped with nine-game ban for squeezing testicles of two opponents

A non-league footballer has been banned for nine matches after being charged with grabbing the testicles of two opposition players.

Longridge Town striker Connor Jackson was handed the ban after a fiery encounter with Northwich Victoria in the North West Counties League on February 2. It came after he was accused by Victoria’s bench of grabbing the genitals of opposing players Matthew Clarke and Christian Mather and “squeezing” them.

Jackson denied breaching FA Rule E3: Improper Conducted, as stated in the FA Disciplinary Commission’s Decision and Reasons regarding the incident, but his punishment will stand.

Victoria manager Stephen Wilkes will also be banned for seven games after comments made to Jackson following the incident. He admitted to calling Jackson a “gay ****” and a “queer ****”.

His comments were said to “genuinely shock and upset” Jackson, but Wilkes claimed they were made “in jest”, before adding he does not have a “homophobic bone” in his body. The manager admitted to two improper conduct charges, as well as being ordered to pay a £75 fine and take part in an online education programme.

Meanwhile, Northwich Victoria have refused to accept Wilkes’ offer to resign, with club chairman Brian Turner giving a statement on the situation.

He said: “The issue of Mr Wilkes was dealt with by the FA Disciplinary Panel, which the club accepts. Therefore, the club has no further comment to make.”

Lancashire Police said they had no record of any criminal complaint from the game being reported.

The controversy comes 34 years after Paul Gascoigne infamously had his privates pinched by Vinnie Jones in a game between Newcastle and Wimbledon. It came after midfielder Gascoigne gave his marker a slight shove, prompting Jones to reach behind him and grab the Newcastle star by his crown jewels.

Gascoigne's look of pain and Jones' ferocity were photographed and have since gone down in football folklore. Jones incredibly went on to commission a giant oil painting of the incident as a memento in 1991, paying an artist £1,750 for his services.

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