The Dagenham midfielder Joss Labadie has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association following an alleged biting incident against Stevenage.
The 24-year-old, who was banned for 10 matches last season after biting Chesterfield’s Ollie Banks while playing for Torquay, was accused of sinking his teeth into the hand of the defender Ronnie Henry in Dagenham’s 1-0 win on Saturday. The pair clashed near the touchline when Henry tried to wrestle the ball out of Labadie’s arms after play had been stopped. Henry immediately appeared to signal to the nearby assistant referee that he had been bitten.
The incident is being investigated by Hertfordshire Police but the FA has charged Labadie, who has until 6pm next Tuesday to respond.
An FA statement read: “The FA has charged Dagenham & Redbridge player Joss Labadie with violent conduct following an incident during their game on 21 March 2015. Labadie has until 6pm on 30 March to respond to the charge.”
The Stevenage manager, Graham Westley, said Henry had suffered “a nasty injury” and had “nearly lost his finger”. The two players were involved in a heated exchange in the tunnel afterwards and police officers waited outside the away changing room to speak to Labadie.
“Ronnie was in a state of shock, you don’t go on a football pitch expecting to lose your finger. He was horrified by what has gone on because it’s a football match and he’s nearly lost his finger,” Westley said.
