Newcastle manager Alan Pardew head-butted a player in an English Premier League game against Hull on Saturday, leading to a swift formal warning and 100,000-pound ($168,000) fine from his club, and facing the prospect of a lengthy touchline ban. The touchline confrontation unfolded in the 72nd minute when Hull midfielder David Meyler barged into Pardew as he looked to retrieve the ball for a throw-in at KC Stadium. After squaring up to Meyler before moving his head in the direction of the players face, Pardew was sent to the stands. FA chairman Greg Dyke described Pardews actions as "serious" after Newcastles 4-1 win, and said an investigation would be opened. Pardews employers reacted quickly, holding urgent talks with the manager and announcing his punishment hours later. "His behaviour was unacceptable and is not the behaviour we expect from the manager of Newcastle United," the northeast club said on its website. Pardew, whose job does not appear to be under immediate threat, accepted the formal warning and fine, Newcastle said. "Alan unreservedly apologized immediately following the game to the player, to Hull City Football Club and its fans, and to the fans of Newcastle United," the club statement said. "We have held discussions this evening with Alan, who has offered his sincere apologies to the club and it is clear he deeply regrets his actions." Although Pardew denied head-butting Meyler, he conceded the incident was "a wake-up call," coming after a recent touchline altercation with Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini. "(Meyler) was right on top of me and I wanted to just ease him away from me but obviously I put my head in a forward motion," Pardew said after the game. "I want to apologize to him, everyone at Hull and obviously my own fans as well. I dont think it was a head-butt. It wasnt a motion that was quick. "Sometimes when youre on the sideline like that you can get involved in a moment like that. It was an incident that just flared up all around me. I just wanted to get him away." Pardew said he would "accept whatever comes my way" as a punishment, and he was likely to be prevented from sitting on the bench for several games by the FA. Newcastles statement expressed disappointment that Pardews behaviour took the focus off such a fine attacking performance against Hull. Newcastle was already leading 3-1 at the time of the incident after Moussa Sissoko scored twice on either side of Loic Remys goal. With Pardew in the stands, Vurnon Anita added the fourth in stoppage time. Cheap NHL Jerseys . INJURIES - Cardinals 1B Matt Adams has been put on the DL with calf tightness, resulting in some lineup shifting, with Allen Craig moving from right field to first base, so that the Cardinals could bring up top prospect Oscar Taveras, who was the No. NHL Jerseys China . Argentina, who have yet to beat New Zealand in 17 meetings, rocked the All Blacks with an early converted try to backrower Juan Manuel Leguizamon and led 7-0 after five minutes. But Smiths double in the 23rd and 26th minutes - when Argentina was reduced to 14 men by the sin-binning of hooker Eusebio Guinazu - turned the tide of the match and set up New Zealands third straight Championship win. https://www.cheapnhljerseysjustwholesale.com/. -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wanted to keep Logan Mankins with the team for a long time. NHL Jerseys 2020 . Kerber will next play Estonias Kaia Kanepi, who beat American qualifier Victoria Duval 6-1, 6-3. In other first-round matches, Lucie Safarova beat 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-4 and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands had a 6-4, 6-3 win over Canadas Eugenie Bouchard. NHL Jerseys .Manager Brendan Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo on Friday that Sturridge pulled his calf muscle in training as he prepared to return from a five-week layoff due to a thigh strain.OKLAHOMA CITY -- Serge Ibaka walked slowly and carefully, but without a limp, before facing reporters Saturday afternoon. Much has been made of the Oklahoma City defensive stars absence in the first two games of the Western Conference finals series against the San Antonio Spurs. The 6-foot-10 power forward strained his left calf in the previous playoff series, and the Thunder said they expected him to be out for the playoffs. The team changed course Friday and declared him day-to-day. He worked out Saturday, but he didnt practice before addressing the media for the first time since his outlook changed. With Ibaka, the leagues leading shot blocker, the Thunder were one of the best defensive teams the NBA. Without him, the Spurs shot at least 50 per cent in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals and won them by a combined 52 points. As he stood for the five-minute session wearing a black compression sock over the calf, he deflected claims that he could be a saviour heading into Game 3 on Sunday. "Ive been hearing a lot of people saying my team lost two games because I was out," he said. "Thats not true. I believe in my guys. I believe in my teammates. They can be better with me or without me. Its no excuse because Serge Ibaka was not there. Just San Antonio, the first two games, they played better basketball." Ibaka said he sometimes screamed at his television set when he watched scenarios in which he could have made plays during the losses. He is not sure if he will play in Game 3 -- he said it is up to doctors, and much will depend on how he feels in the morning. For now, he will depend largely on rest, ice and luck. His presence is needed, even if he is less than fully healthy. Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison and Perry Jones have struggled against the Spurs big men. Kevin Durant, normally a small forward, has played some power forward in the series because of Ibakas absence, and his relative lack of physical strength and unfamiliarity with playing post defence has been exploited. The Spurs prepared all along as though he would return. "It gives them another hell of a player," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, "but we are who we are and weve got to be who we are. We cant change what we do." Even if Ibaka returns, it will not fully solve Oklahoma Citys problems defending the perimeter. San Antonio has made 18 of 40 3-pointers in the series and guards Tony Parker annd Manu Ginobili are slashing into the paint with stunning frequency, often scoring or finding their teammates for open shots.dddddddddddd. The Thunder say it starts with basics. "Its just an individual effort," Perkins said. "Got to put it in your mind that you want to stop the guy in front of you, and thats it. Backside got to be ready. But the thing is when they penetrate, thats what opens those threes. Well do a better job of keeping the ball in front of us, but weve just got to be individual and youve got to want the match up." To be fair, San Antonio shares the ball like no one else. The Spurs led the league with 25.4 assists per game during the regular season. That average is up to 27.5 against Oklahoma City. Parker and Ginobili generate many of the assists, but many others come from simple ball movement. "We dont have a Durant," Ginobili said. "We dont have a Kobe (Bryant) or LeBron (James) that can go one against one and finish every single time. We need to pass the ball to find open teammates, and thats what we do, and thats what weve been doing. We all feel proud about it. We know when we have 25 assists or 30, we are much better and we try to do that every time." Because the Spurs generally have five capable scorers on the floor at a time, it forces opponents to have a greater attention to detail than usual. "Theyve got threats," Durant said. "Everybody on their team is a threat because of their offence. They move the ball. Theyve got 3-point shooters. You take away 3-point shooters, they get the role guys and they get the paint points. You take away that and they start hitting the threes. So we have to do both. We have to be able to close the paint up and get out to shooters. Easier said than done, but we can do it." The Spurs are off to a good start, but experience tells them they wont have as easy a time in Oklahoma City. And in 2012, Oklahoma City fell behind San Antonio 2-0 in the Western Conference finals before winning the series 4-2. "Weve got to know that in their arena its going to be different," Ginobili said. "Theyre going to be way more aggressive, theyre going to be pushed by their fans. We just won two games. They are going to make more shots, they are going to attack harder, they are going to go to the free-throw line more.So, there are a lot of things that they can do much better and were not going to make as many shots." ' ' '