Manchester United have confirmed Zlatan Ibrahimovic has accepted a charge of violent conduct handed to him by the Football Association and will serve a three-match domestic ban with immediate effect.
Ibrahimovic, 35, will miss the club’s FA Cup clash with Chelsea on Monday as well as Premier League games against Middlesbrough and Burnley after being caught on camera elbowing Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings during their 1-1 draw on Saturday.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect after he admitted an FA charge of violent conduct and accepted the standard penalty,” a statement read on United’s official website.
The United No.9’s altercation with Mings went unpunished by referee Kevin Friend in which Mings has also been charged for stamping on Ibrahimovic’s head in the lead up to Ibrahimovic’s offence.
Bournemouth, however, has appealed the severity of the charge after the FA submitted a claim to see Mings hit with a longer ban that the customary three-match suspension.
The loss of Ibrahimovic will be a real blow to United’s chances of making the top four. In fact, only three players have scored a higher proportion of their team’s goals in the Premier League this season than Ibrahimovic (38.5%).
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