Jordan Thompson kicked a water bottle in frustration after being substituted. It hit a Norwich fan in the head. He now has a three-game ban to think about that.
The Preston midfielder was pulled off during the 65th minute of last Saturday's 2-0 loss at Norwich — a result that was already painful enough — and vented his frustration by booting a water bottle off the ground. It found a Norwich supporter seated in the second row. The whole thing was missed by match officials but caught on camera, which is pretty much the modern story of football accountability in one sentence.
The FA hearing didn't go his way
Thompson denied the charge. The FA proved it anyway. A standard three-game ban for violent conduct was handed down, and Preston will now be without their Northern Ireland international for the next three fixtures.
The fan wasn't visibly injured, and Thompson did gesture toward them afterward. But intent doesn't really factor into how the FA grades these things — the footage showed what it showed, and violent conduct is violent conduct whether you meant to hit someone or not.
For Preston, this isn't a crisis, but it's not nothing either. Thompson is a regular presence in their Championship midfield, and losing him across three matches when every point in the second tier matters could sting. Preston are already navigating a tough run of form — a self-inflicted absence doesn't help.
At 29, Thompson is experienced enough to know better. A moment of frustration on the touchline after a bad loss is understandable. A three-game ban as the consequence? That's the kind of thing that tends to stay on a player's disciplinary record for a while.
