LONDON: Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Monday’s FA Cup quarterfinal at Chelsea after accepting a charge of violent conduct and an immediate three-match ban, England’s Football Association said. The 35-year-old, United’s leading scorer this season with 26 goals, will also miss the Premier League matches against Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion, dealing a significant blow to United’s hopes of snatching a top-four place and a Champions League spot.
However, Ibrahimovic remains available for United’s Europa League tie away to Russian side Rostov on Thursday because FA bans do not apply to European matches. Ibrahimovic and Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings were charged following two incidents in Saturday’s bad-tempered 1-1 league draw. Mings appeared to deliberately stamp on Ibrahimovic’s head as he jumped over him late in the first half at Old Trafford and the Swedish striker seemed to retaliate moments later by elbowing the defender in the head. Both players would ordinarily have been facing three-game bans but the FA took the unusual step of saying on Monday that in the case of Mings the standard punishment was “clearly insufficient”.
Ibrahimovic has rapidly become a fans’ favourite at Old Trafford, but now the Red Devils must do without him in domestic football until the April 4 visit of Everton at the earliest. At the very least, Mings stands to miss league matches against West Ham, Swansea and Southampton. — AFP
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