HIGHLIGHT – Tyrone Mings
Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings has been given a five-match suspension for his stamp on Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Football Association charged Mings and Ibrahimovic with violent conduct on Monday over incidents in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
The Bournemouth defender’s left boot landed on Ibrahimovic’s head before the Manchester United player’s elbow struck him in the face in an incident moments later.
Ibrahimovic accepted the charge and will serve a three-match ban, but Bournemouth contested the Mings charge and the FA’s recommendation that he serve a longer ban.
However, an Independent Regulatory Commission found Mings guilty of violent conduct and he will miss Premier League games against West Ham, Swansea, Southampton, Liverpool and Chelsea.
A statement from the FA on Wednesday afternoon read: “AFC Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings will serve a five-match suspension with immediate effect, following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today.
“The defender was charged with violent conduct in relation to an incident in or around the 44th minute of the game against Manchester United on Saturday [4 March 2017] which was not seen by the match officials at the time but caught on video.
“Furthermore, The FA claimed that the standard punishment of three matches which would otherwise apply for the misconduct committed would be ‘clearly insufficient.’
“The player denied both the charge and the claim, however, both matters were found proven and a two-match suspension was added by the Commission to the standard sanction for violent conduct.”
Bournemouth expressed their disappointment with the ruling in a club statement on Wednesday and disputed the suggestion the charge had been “proven.”
The statement read: “AFC Bournemouth are extremely disappointed with the FA Regulatory Commission’s decision to find Tyrone Mings guilty of the charges against him and impose a five-game suspension, following Saturday’s incident at Old Trafford involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“We will study the detailed reasons of the commission once they become available but find it extraordinary that the charges can be described as ‘proven’ when there is absolutely no evidence to prove the incident was intentional.
“It is our strongly held belief — backed up by our relationship with the player, and knowledge of his background and character — that it was an accidental collision.
“Tyrone twice apologised to Ibrahimovic during the match for the accidental collision and also reiterated that there was no intent straight after the final whistle in a series of television interviews.
“We fully support our player. Tyrone has an excellent disciplinary record and has not been sent off in 75 matches as a professional. During that time he has only received 13 yellow cards — the last of which came in April 2015.
“The club will be making no further comment.”
Mings had previously denied it had been a deliberate act and said: “I obviously didn’t mean it, but if there is reaction, there is reaction — everyone will have an opinion. That is football.”
