Liverpool striker Ryan Babel has pleaded guilty to an FA charge of improper conduct for his twitter attack on Howard Webb.
A hearing has been set up for Monday January 17 with the FA entering new grounds by charging a player for matters on a social networking site.
The striker sent out an image of Webb in a Manchester United shirt after the World Cup referee had sent off Steven Gerrard and awarded Manchester United a first minute penalty in Liverpool’s FA Cup exit.
Over 160,000 fans follow Babel’s twitter account.
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has criticised the FA’s decision to charge Babel after discussing the matter with Webb in midweek.
He said, “I thought it was funny – I thought the ref looked really cool in a Man Utd shirt to be honest!”
“I saw him in the toilet at the match I went to the other night at Stockport. I said ‘come on, what sort of game did you have against Man Utd? Was that a sending off and was that a penalty?’
“We had a bit of a laugh about it, but to pick on young Ryan Babel for that – how can you fine him for that? It’s rubbish.”
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I wonder if the SFA will latch onto Hooiveld’s comment on Twitter that references this incident and persue him.