£50m striker with ‘issues in his head’ nutted opponent and shoved referee
“This guy probably has problems in his head,” Sasa Stamenkovic quipped when asked about Aleksandar Mitrovic’s red card.
Mitrovic had just been flashed the second red card of his career after clashing with the Baku keeper when turning out for FK Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League.
The Serbian would go onto receive a further five red cards – including one for a headbutt – in his career before moving to Saudi Arabia to the tune of £50m. However, he left one last impression on English football before moving to the desert, earning an eight match ban for his actions against Manchester United.
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Mitrovic lost his cool midway through the second half of the quarter-final tie at Old Trafford in 2023. He was given his marching orders moments after team-mate Willian had also received red for handball on the goalline.
The former Newcastle man was incensed by the decision and berated match referee Chris Kavanagh, before shoving the official.
What did you think of Aleksandar Mitrovic’s time in England? Let us know in the comments section
(Image: Jon Super/AP/REX/Shutterstock)
The Serbian has been handed an eight-match ban by the FA for his actions. That means he will miss eight of Fulham’s last 10 matches of the season.
A 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.
(Image: Getty)
“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.
“In total, the Regulatory Commission has suspended Aleksandar Mitrović for eight matches. One of these has already been served, and therefore the forward will be unavailable for Fulham FC’s next seven matches.”
The incident changed the complexion of the tie completely, with Fulham going from 1-0 up to 2-1 down in the space of seconds. They would ultimately go on to lose 3-1.
