Calum Merrin has been handed a five-year ban from all football after seriously injuring a supporter during an FA Vase match. The 21-year-old, from Dartmeet Avenue, Plymouth, received a suspended prison sentence after leaving a man requiring surgery and screws inserted following a violent attack.
Attack during FA Vase match
Merrin was playing for his former club Elburton Villa when he and another individual inflicted grievous bodily harm (GBH) on a football supporter during an away fixture at Brixham in Devon on November 9, 2024. The attack occurred on the same day that Elburton Villa and Brixham contested an Isuzu FA Vase match, which Brixham won 3-0.
Merrin, who moved to Liskeard AFC from Elburton Villa during the summer, along with the other individual involved, pleaded guilty to a single count of GBH without intent when the case was heard at Plymouth Magistrates' Court in June this year, reports Cornwall Live.
Court outcome and FA sanction
The victim is reported to have sustained serious injuries necessitating surgery and the insertion of six screws into the wound. Both Merrin and his co-defendant received two-year prison sentences, suspended for two years, and were ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,500 in compensation. A restraining order prohibiting any contact with the victim was also put in place.
Following his criminal conviction for violence, Merrin was referred to the Football Association (FA). Cornwall FA stated that because Merrin had been representing a Devon-based club at the time, the matter had fallen outside its remit.
The FA has nevertheless confirmed the sanction banning Merrin from all football for five years, backdated to the date of the incident. An FA spokesperson explained that in cases of this kind, the FA's disciplinary procedures can take into account the outcome of related criminal court proceedings.
Given that the court outcome and accompanying documentation were only recently obtained, disciplinary measures from the county FA were only implemented once that process had been completed.
FA statement and club confirmation
The spokesperson added: "Calum Merrin has been sanctioned for a breach of FA Rule E3.1 during a fixture between Brixham FC and Elburton Villa on November 9, 2024.
"It was alleged that Calum Merrin used violent conduct and/or threatening and/or abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting words or behaviour towards a supporter.
"It was further alleged that this constituted 'assault by a participant on another participant or any other person', as defined in FA Regulations.
"Calum Merrin accepted the charge, and an independent Regulatory Commission imposed a five-year suspension from all football and football-related activities backdated to the charge date, and a £150 fine. It also imposed 10 Disciplinary Points on the club."
Liskeard AFC, which competes in the Western Football League, confirmed that Merrin is no longer playing for the club.
