Aleksandar Mitrovic banned for EIGHT Fulham matches after referee shove with Marco Silva also suspended
The striker will not return to action until mid-May after being punished for the incident at Old Trafford
leksandar Mitrovic will serve an eight-match ban for shoving referee Chris Kavanagh in Fulham’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.
An independent Regulatory Commission deemed that an initial suspension for violent conduct was insufficient, and the Fulham striker will now miss the club’s next seven games having already served one match of the ban. Mitrovic has also been fined £75,000.
Marco Silva has been handed a two-match touchline ban for his red card, and fined £20,000 fine for that incident and a further £20,000 for his comments after the match.
However, the FA have suggested those suspensions are still not enough and indicated they will appeal against the verdict.
“We note the decision of the independent Regulatory Commission to sanction Aleksandar Mitrovic and Marco Silva,” an FA Spokesperson said.
“Our current intention is to appeal both sanctions, however we will await the written reasons before confirming our final position.”
It has also been decided that Fulham should pay a fine of £40,000 for failing to control the players as Mitrovic, Silva and Willian were sent off in the space of a chaotic couple of minutes.
An earlier statement from the FA read: “We claimed the standard punishment which would otherwise apply to Aleksandar Mitrović for the sending-off offence of violent conduct that he committed towards the match referee around the 72nd minute was clearly insufficient.
“The forward denied this, but it was upheld by the Regulatory Commission, and a three-match ban was imposed. This is in addition to the three-match ban he had already received for the red card offence.
“The forward separately admitted that his behaviour and language after being sent off was improper, abusive, insulting and threatening, and the Regulatory Commission imposed an additional two-match ban and £75,000 fine.”
Fulham have ten Premier League matches left to play this season, meaning Mitrovic will only feature in a maximum of three more games. His return is likely to come away to Southampton on May 13, before a home clash against Crystal Palace and a trip to Manchester City round off the campaign.
Silva, who claimed after the incident at Old Trafford that Fulham had an “unhappy” history with Kavanagh, will not be on the touchline for his side’s upcoming fixtures against West Ham and Everton.