Aleksandar Mitrovic is set for an extended spell on the sidelines for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh.
During Fulham’s FA Cup game against Manchester United at Old Trafford, the Cottagers striker reacted angrily to Kavanagh awarding the hosts a penalty and sending Willian off for handball on the line.
Fulham were leading 1-0 at the time, but it was an obvious handball, and as Kavanagh walked 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 game as Man United scored the resulting penalty and went on to win 3-1 to dump the Cottagers out of the competition with Mitrovic earlier giving them the lead.
How many games will Mitrovic miss?
A red card for anything other than the denial of a goalscoring opportunity or two bookable offences comes with a three-match ban.
This is because any other offence is deemed to be violent conduct and pushing a referee is almost certainly violent.
However, the striker is likely to be banned for longer, based on past incidents.
In 2017, ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo received a five-game ban after he pushed Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea during a Spanish Super Cup match.
Ronaldo received a second yellow card from the referee after he was deemed to dive in the box.
The Portuguese superstar reacted angrily and shoved the official.
The Spanish footballing authorities dished out a five-game ban for Ronaldo, so Mitrovic can expect further punishment.
There was also talk of a five-match ban for Bruno Fernandes after Man United’s 7-0 defeat to Liverpool.
The Red Devils star pushed the assistant referee but escaped a ban despite the chief executive of Ref Support UK, Martin Cassidy, calling for a lengthy ban.
And in 1998, Sheffield Wednesday’s Paolo Di Canio received an 11-match ban for shoving referee Paul Alcock to the floor against Arsenal.
By pushing the referee, the Serbian striker broke paragraph 96 of the Football Association’s Disciplinary Regulations, Part D – On-Field Regulations, Section 3.
That section states: “Physical actions (or attempted actions) that are unlikely to cause injury to the Match Official but are nevertheless confrontational, examples include but are not limited to: pushing the Match Official or pulling the Match Official (or their clothing or equipment).
“Physical contact or attempted physical contact: Suspension from all football activities for a period of between 112 days and two years. The recommended entry point, prior to considering any mitigating or aggravating factors, is 182 days.”
Therefore, it is extremely likely that we won’t be seeing Fulham’s top goalscorer for quite some time. He could even miss the rest of this campaign and the start of the 2023/24 season.
Marco Silva’s side have games against Bournemouth, West Ham and Everton coming up and they will definitely be without Mitrovic for them, and we might be waiting a lot longer than that to see him again.
It is now up to the FA to decide just how many matches Mitrovic will miss for his ridiculous decision to push the referee.
Ref Watch: Why Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off, but Bruno Fernandes wasn’t
Dermot Gallagher explains why Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off in the FA Cup for pushing a referee, while Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes wasn’t for a similar incident in the Premier League against Liverpool.
The ex-referee has had his say on comparisons between both incidents…
Fulham fans were left furious when Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off against Manchester United, highlighting that Bruno Fernandes escaped punishment for a similar incident when the Red Devils played Liverpool weeks ago.
But ex-referee Dermot Gallagher has said that the two incidents were very different.
The Cottagers travelled to Old Trafford for the FA Cup quarter-final tie, and impressively took the lead against their northern opponents when Mitrovic scored in the second-half.
But in the space of five minutes, the game was turned on its head – Willian was sent off for a handball on the line before Mitrovic went from hero to villain when he was also shown a red card by referee Chris Kavanagh for pushing the match official.
That left Fulham fans livid, and comparisons have since been made to when Bruno Fernandes pushed a the linesman when United lost 7-0 at Anfield.
But Gallagher believes that there is no comparison to make and that Mitrovic deserved his punishment.
Mitrovic sending off justified – but why wasn’t Fernandes?
The call to send Mitrovic off has been the main talking point from the game, but many fans and pundits believe the referee was within his rights to send the Serbian off.
Former England striker Chris Sutton was one of those and believes that the Fulham striker should receive a significant punishment.
“You do not lay your hands on an official,” Sutton said via BBC 5 Live. “In my opinion, the player should get a 10-match ban.”
Chris Sutton believes Aleksandar Mitrovic should receive a 10-game ban 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/SAgT8nKZf9
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 20, 2023
But the main argument has been why Mitrovic was sent off for his push on the referee, while Bruno Fernandes escaped despite being involved in a similar incident.
Losing by five goals in the 80th minute and clearly frustrated at Anfield, Fernandes pushed the linesman while trying to get the ball back.
“Bruno gets nothing for pushing a linesman but Mitrovic gets a straight red for bumping the ref, inconsistent VAR Embarrassing,” former Tottenham striker and talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent said on Twitter.
Bruno gets nothing for pushing a linesman but mitrovic gets a straight red for bumping the ref , inconsistent VAR Embarrassing
— Darren Bent (@DarrenBent) March 19, 2023
Dermot Gallagher says Fernandes and Mitrovic incidents were very different
But on Monday morning ex-referee Dermot Gallagher weighed in with his own view, saying he does not condone Fernandes’ actions, but that it was a yellow card at most.
“I said at the time I don’t condone what Fernandes did,” said Gallagher. “I don’t think it’s wise to touch a match official.
“I don’t think that’s violent and I don’t think that’s aggressive, I think that’s petulant and he could have easily got a yellow card for that and I think people would have accepted that.
“I still don’t think it’s a red card offence, but I do think yesterday’s is.”
Gallagher disagreed when asked if Fernandes set a precedent moving forward by escaping punishment, but added that the two incidents were very different.
“I think they’re two totally divorced situations in how the player is towards an official,” he said.
“Neither player should have done what they did, but I think one player has gone far too far.”
What next for Mitrovic, Fulham, and United?
Fulham will be without their frontman for at least three games following his straight red card, but Gallagher went on to say that the FA could decide to increase that ban after reviewing the footage.
Red card suspensions do carry over from other competitions, so that means Mitrovic will miss Fulham’s next three games at the very least.
Those matches against relegation-threatened Bournemouth, West Ham and Everton are vital for Fulham as they continue to push up the table, and Mitrovic’s absence could come back to bite them.
Meanwhile, United will resume their Premier League campaign on April 2nd when they travel north to face Newcastle United, with both teams pushing for a spot in the Champions League next season.