Aleksandar Mitrovic of Fulham was given an eight-game ban for shoving referee Chris Kavanagh during their FA Cup loss to Manchester United. The Serbia striker served his first suspension game on Saturday against Bournemouth and will now miss the next seven Premier League games. Mitrovic was given a three-game suspension for a red card, but it was increased to six games for hostile behavior toward a match official and two more for using “improper, abusive, insulting, and threatening statements.”
“The independent regulatory commission’s decision to penalize Aleksandar Mitrovic and Marco Silva is noted. We want to appeal both sentences and will make a final decision when we receive the written reasons,” Fulham said in a statement after Aleksandar Mitrovic was handed an eight-game ban.
The independent regulatory body also sanctioned Fulham manager Marco Silva, whose sacking, like that of Willian, enraged Mitrovic. Silva agreed to make angry and disrespectful statements and gestures directed toward Kavanagh but he denied throwing a water bottle at the assistant referee. Despite this, the accusation was maintained, and a £20,000 punishment was imposed, as well as a second £20,000 fine for doubting the referee’s integrity during his post-match press conference. He was also suspended from the sidelines for two games. Fulham was fined an additional £40,000 for failing to control their players.
“On a personal level, I regret the actions that resulted in my dismissal. My rage got the best of me, and I behaved improperly. Emotions were running high at Old Trafford, and I should have been more in control of my own. It was a challenging situation in a winning competition, but I could have handled it better. I deeply regret what happened,” Mitrovic said.
Fulham’s upcoming fixtures
April 8: West Ham (H)
April 15: Everton (A)
April 22: Leeds (H)
April 25: Aston Villa (A)
April 30: Man City (H)
May 3: Liverpool (A)
May 8: Leicester (H)
May 13: Southampton (A)
May 20: Crystal Palace (H)
May 28: Man Utd (A)
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