Violent Ibrahimovic handed 3-game ban
Print Edition
MANCHESTER United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss the FA Cup quarterfinal at Chelsea after accepting a charge of violent conduct and an immediate three-match ban, England’s Football Association said yesterday.
As well as Monday’s FA Cup clash, the 35-year-old Ibrahimovic — United’s leading scorer this season with 26 goals — will also miss the Premier League matches against Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion.
Ibrahimovic and Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings were charged on Monday following two incidents in Saturday’s bad-tempered 1-1 league draw.
Mings appeared to deliberately stamp on Ibrahimovic’s head as he jumped over him late in the first half at Old Trafford and the Swedish striker seemed to retaliate moments later by elbowing the defender in the head.
Both players would ordinarily have been facing three-game bans but the FA took the unusual step of suggesting on Monday that in the case of Mings the standard punishment was “clearly insufficient”.
On Saturday match referee Kevin Friend spoke to Ibrahimovic, who had already been booked, following his elbow on Mings, but neither player was cautioned.
As a result, the incident was referred to a panel of three former elite referees, who unanimously concluded that both offenses merited red cards.
Ibrahimovic denied elbowing Mings on purpose, saying after the game: “I jump up and jump high and he jumps into my elbow. It is not my intention to hurt someone.”
Mings, whose conduct was widely criticized by a number of former players turned pundits, said he had not intentionally stamped on Ibrahimovic’s head. “I would never do that. That’s not in my game,” he said. “Hard and fair is how I like to tackle, but off-the-ball stuff like that isn’t part of my game.”
At the very least, Mings now stands to miss league matches against West Ham United, Swansea City and Southampton.
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