For how many matches is Aleksandar Mitrovic banned? The Fulham forward sent off the referee against Manchester United and is set for a long spell after the Cristiano Ronaldo incident in 2017
Aleksandar Mitrovic is set to sit on the sidelines as the Fulham striker was sent off after pushing referee Chris Kavanagh.
During the Cottagers’ FA Cup match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, the Serb reacted angrily to Kavanagh by awarding the hosts a penalty and sending Willian for the handball down the line.
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Mitrovic’s anger boiled over and he pushed Kavanagh
Fulham were leading 1-0 at the time but it was an obvious handball, and as Kavanagh came back from the VAR screen Mitrovic pushed the referee and was sent off and the striker could be out for a long time.
It proved to be a crucial turning point in the match as Man United scored the resulting penalty and won 3-1 and knocked the Cottagers out of the competition with Mitrovic earlier giving them the lead.
How many matches will Mitrovic miss?
A red card for anything other than denial of a goalscoring opportunity or two bookable offenses carries a three-match ban.
Indeed, any other offense is considered violent conduct and pushing a referee is almost certainly violent.
However, the attacker is likely to be banned for longer, due to past incidents.
In 2017, former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo received a five-game ban after pushing Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea during a Spanish Super Cup match.
Ronaldo received a second yellow card from the referee after he was deemed to have dived into the box.
The Portuguese superstar reacted angrily and shoved the official.
Mitrovic had to be dragged off the pitch
Spanish football authorities have issued a five-game ban for Ronaldo, so Mitrovic can expect another punishment.
There has also been talk of a five-match ban for Bruno Fernandes following Man United’s 7-0 loss to Liverpool.
The Red Devils star shoved the assistant referee but escaped a ban despite Ref Support UK chief executive Martin Cassidy calling for a lengthy ban.
Therefore, it’s extremely likely that we won’t see Fulham’s top scorer for some time.
Marco Silva’s side have games against Bournemouth, West Ham and Everton to come and they will definitely be without Mitrovic for them and we may not see him until the end of April.
It’s now up to the Football Association to decide how many games Mitrovic will miss for his ridiculous decision to push the referee.
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