What did they expect?
[ MORE: Mings denies stamp | Zlatan denies elbow ]
Both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings have been charged with “alleged violent conduct” by the English Football Association following their game-long battle at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Manchester United striker and Bournemouth defender were involved in multiple unsavory scenes during the 1-1 draw, the worst of which saw Mings appear to stamp on Ibrahimovic’s head as he was on the floor in the first half and moments later Ibrahimovic’s elbow struck Mings in the head which caused a melee.
That scuffle resulted in Bournemouth’s Andrew Surman being sent off but neither Ibrahimovic or Mings were given a red card. With the officials not seeing the incident live, retrospective action has now come down on the duo like a ton of bricks.
After the game Mings denied intentionally stamping on Ibrahimovic’s head, while the latter said that Mings “jumped into his elbow” just seconds after the duo were seen talking in the penalty box as a corner kick came in.
The standard punishment for an act of violent conduct is a three-game ban but the FA are clearly looking to ban Mings for longer as they’ve stated “the standard punishment that would otherwise apply for the misconduct committed by the Bournemouth defender is ‘clearly insufficient.’”
If Ibrahimovic is found guilty by the review panel he will miss United’s FA Cup quarterfinal at Chelsea next Monday, plus their Premier League games against Middlesbrough on Mar. 19 and West Brom on Apr. 1.
Below is the statement from the FA as both players have until 1 p.m. ET tomorrow to respond to the charges.Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings have both been charged with alleged violent conduct following the Manchester United versus AFC Bournemouth game on Saturday [4 March 2017].
The players were involved in two separate incidents in or around the 44th minute which were not seen by the match officials at the time but caught on video.
Furthermore, The FA has submitted a claim that the standard punishment that would otherwise apply for the misconduct committed by the Bournemouth defender is ‘clearly insufficient’.
Both players have until 6pm on Tuesday 7 March 2017 to reply to their charge.
Off the ball incidents which are not seen at the time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite referees.
Each referee panel member will review the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they consider it a sending-off offence. For retrospective action to be taken, and an FA charge to follow, the decision of the panel must be unanimous.Follow @JPW_NBCSports