Bold selection by Jim Magilton

Ipswich Town Football Club

(Courtesy of Paul)

Ipswich manager, Jim Magilton, made the controversial decision of including out-of-favour midfielder David Norris in his squad to face Doncaster this afternoon.

David Norris has been heavily criticised for his ‘handcuffs’ gesture in his goal celebration against Blackpool last weekend in support of his jailed former Plymouth team-mate Luke McCormick.

Luke McCormick was jailed for seven years in October after causing the death of two boys - Aaron Peak, ten, and his brother, Ben, eight – when drink driving.

McCormick had been driving at 90mph on his way home from David Norris’s wedding party when he crashed into the Peak’s car.

In a statement on the club's website, Norris denied making a handcuffs gesture or “personal message to Luke McCormick," but appreciates how his “actions may have been misintepretated” and has apologised to the Peak family for any offence caused.

Insensitive

It was a particularly insensitive celebration given the proximity of the event, and the Peak family’s disappointment that Luke McCormick will be eligible for parole after only three and a half years.

The boys’s mother, Amanda, described the player’s behaviour as “disgusting” and insisted he should be punished by the club.

In an interview with Sky News, Amanda said she found the goal celebration particularly offensive because it was likely to have been “premediated”.

Light punishment

Ipswich Town Football Club have fined David Norris and the proceeds are to be given to the Peak’s family charity of choice.

The Football Association have requested an explanation from Norris, but as yet have not chosen to suspend him, making him eligible for this weekend’s fixture away to Doncaster.

Given the sensitivity of the issue, this seems to be a light punishment. Other controversial goal celebrations in the past have earnt match bans from the FA.

In 1999, Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler was fined by the FA and banned for four matches after gesturing sniffing cocaine from the penalty box white line when he scored against Everton.
This had been in response to Everton fans’s taunts about him being a drug user.

"not been an easy decision"

Jim Magilton admitted that it had “not been an easy decision” to include Norris in his squad this weekend.

It is difficult for a manager to omit a player who scored the winning goal in his last game and says he wants to play, despite the likely abuse that he’ll receive from the crowd.

There is also the added pressure that it is an away game broadcasted on Sky TV.

It will be interesting to see how David Norris and the fans respond.