Pardew publicly apologised for his actions and said he had said sorry privately to the oficial, but should the incident be mentioned in referee Martin Atkinson’s match report, Pardew could well face a fine or a ban, or both.
Alan Pardew: “We’re overjoyed about the result but I hold my head in shame.
“I was just saying to the players [beforehand] about the great Olympics and how to set an example.
“And there’s me pushing the linesman over.
“It was comical, he just happened to be right in front of me.
“I went in [to the dressing room] and said I’m sorry [to the referees] and said I would have to apologise publicly too because it was ridiculous.”