FA urged to hand Mitrovic ‘at least a six-game ban’
- Mitrovic shoved referee in Man Utd loss
- Also squared up to Chris Kavanagh
- Fulham imploded in 3-1 cup defeat
WHAT HAPPENED? Following an almighty loss of composure that cost the Cottagers a spot in the FA Cup semi-final, there have been calls from different angles for Mitrovic to be given a significant ban after he was shown a straight red card in Fulham’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester United. The Serbian was dismissed for getting in referee Chris Kavanagh’s face and appearing to shove him when appealing the decision to issue a penalty and send off team-mate Willian in the 72nd minute.
WHAT THEY SAID: Many have weighed in with an opinion in the time since, with Ref Support UK CEO Martin Cassidy telling Express Sport: “We’re asking for at least a six-game ban here. That’s the sort of thing you see in a grassroots game in Argentina – not the top-flight and in the most prestigious cup competition in the world. If people think they can behave like that in a top-flight arena, what chance has the grassroots referee got?”
He added that it was “great” to see Kavanagh handle the situation like he did and harked back to an incident involving United’s Bruno Fernandes at the beginning of March, when the Portuguese put his hands on a linesman in their 7-0 mauling.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Additionally, former Premier League referee Jeff Winter echoed similar sentiment when speaking to BonusCodeBets, stating: “I think Mitrovic will be lucky to play another game this season. If it hadn’t been for the intervention of players on both sides, I think we could’ve had something much more serious.
“Mitrovic had gone. He’s taking no notice of the red card, the look in his eyes suggests that if he wasn’t restrained then something far worse could’ve happened. I thought for a minute the referee’s safety was seriously in question.”
AND WHAT’S MORE: Winter continued, likening the situation to the one between Paulo Di Canio and Paul Alcock in 1998 where the Italian shoved the referee to the ground, and claimed: “This is the chance for the FA to show some leadership. It’s got to send out a message to the world of football that we can’t tolerate this behaviour.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? It remains to be seen whether or not the FA will decide to take further action against Mitrovic and extend his ban, with pressure evidently mounting.