Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 05/04/23...

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FA make suspension calls over Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic and Marco Silva ahead of West Ham tie

West Ham United head across London to face Fulham on Saturday and the Cottagers have been dealt a major double blow going into the game which could be a boost for David Moyes' side

Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and manager Marco Silva will both be absent for their London derby against West Ham United on Saturday.

The Cottagers host the Hammers at Craven Cottage in West Ham's third match in the space of just six days, but will be without their manager Silva and striker Mitrovic after both were sent off in Fulham's FA Cup defeat to Manchester United last month.

Mitrovic was sent off after pushing referee Chris Kavanagh in protest to Willian's red card. As a result, Mitrovic has been handed an eight-match ban, although the Serbian international has already served one of those, missing their 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth last weekend.

Mitrovic's ban consists of three matches for getting sent off, three for violent conduct and an additional two for "improper, abusive, insulting and threatening" language.

On top of his lengthy ban, which will keep him out for the majority of the season, Mitrovic had also been handed a £75,000 fine.

Manager Silva has also been given a two-match touchline ban, the first of which will be against the Hammers at the weekend.



https://www.football.london/west-ham-united-fc/fa-fulham-mitrovic-west-ham-26632581

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Suspensions confirmed for Fulham's Mitrovic and Silva
Striker to miss next seven matches and manager given two-match touchline ban

Fulham will be without striker Aleksandar Mitrovic until 13 May after he was handed an eight-match suspension for a red card given following an altercation with referee Chris Kavanagh in last month's FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester United.

Mitrovic has already served one match of his ban, missing Saturday's 2-1 defeat at AFC Bournemouth, meaning he has seven matches left.

As well as being without their 11-goal top scorer, head coach Marco Silva will also be absent for their next two matches.

Silva has been given a touchline ban for the incident which saw him sent off in the same match.

Fulham have dropped to 10th in the table after a run of four matches without a win.



https://www.premierleague.com/news/3135966

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Why Bruno Fernandes wasn't punished for Anfield shove despite Mitrovic ban



Aleksandar Mitrovic was handed an eight-game ban for putting his hands on a referee, leading fans to ask why Bruno Fernandes escaped a charge.

Mitrovic has received a ban of eight games – including Fulham's 2-1 loss to Bournemouth at the weekend – for pulling back the referee in the recent FA Cup quarter-final against Man United.

It was a moment of madness from not only the Serbian but also his manager, with Marco Silva banned from the touchline for two games after also being sent off in that tie.

The precedent set by Mitrovic's ban, though, has led many to ask why Man United midfielder Fernandes was not charged for shoving linesman Adam Nunn during Liverpool's 7-0 triumph at Anfield in March.

Fernandes attempted to wrestle the ball back from Trent Alexander-Arnold for a throw-in when Nunn intervened, with the Portuguese then pushing him out of the way afterwards.

Though a footnote on a record-breaking win for Liverpool, it was strange to see Fernandes unpunished – particularly now Mitrovic has been banned.

However, the FA were unable to charge Fernandes as referee Andrew Madley had seen the incident during the game and opted not to include it in his post-match report.

With no action taken during or after the game, the FA were essentially powerless; one of many baffling quirks of their rulebook.

Fernandes scored twice in United's eventual 3-1 victory over Fulham as they booked a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals, both of his goals coming after Mitrovic's red.

Whether referees will be advised to be more vigilant when it comes to any contact with officials from now on remains to be seen.



https://www.thisisanfield.com/2023/04/why-bruno-fernandes-wasnt-punished-for-anfield-shove-after-mitrovic-ban/

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Premier League fixtures Aleksandar Mitrovic will miss after eight-match ban

The clock read 69:39 when the chaos began. Instinct took over as Willian found himself as the only Fulham player standing between a prodded effort from Manchester United's Jadon Sancho and his team's unguarded net.

The Brazilian punched the ball away before immediately protesting his innocence. Chris Kavanagh belatedly trotted over to the pitch-side monitor to watch the footage for himself on 71:02.

Before anyone at Stockley Park had even located the play button, Marco Silva was shown a red card with 71:12 on Kavanagh's watch. After a stoop and a squint, Willian was given his marching orders on 71:48.

The clock had only had time to tick to 71:53 when Aleksandar Mitrovic was shown a straight red for a thoughtless shove of Kavanagh. Going nose-to-nose with the official in not so much a red mist as a crimson flood, it took most of Fulham's playing and coaching staff to direct the striker down the Old Trafford tunnel.

In the space of two minutes and 14 seconds, Fulham managed to get three critical members of their team dismissed from a stormy FA Cup quarter-final. Bruno Fernandes swiftly cancelled out Mitrovic's opener from the spot before Marcel Sabitzer put Manchester United ahead within two minutes as the Red Devils ran out 3-1 winners.

More than two weeks after the incident, the FA have now slapped Mitrovic with an eight-game ban. After serving the first of this sequence in Fulham's 2-1 loss to Bournemouth last weekend, here are the remaining fixtures that the Cottagers' talisman is set to miss.

Fulham vs West Ham - Premier League
The first match of the season which Mitrovic missed was against West Ham at the London Stadium. Kavanagh was the referee that day and conspired to make a number of baffling decisions as Silva was left exasperated by a decidedly lax interpretation of the handball law.

Mercifully for Fulham - and Kavanagh - the Australian official Jarred Gillett will have the whistle for the reverse fixture on Saturday, 8 April. Yet, neither Silva nor Mitrovic will be there.

    08/04/2023 - Fulham vs West Ham (15:00)

Everton vs Fulham - Premier League
Fulham may have been held to a goalless draw by Everton at Craven Cottage in October but the west Londoners will have fond memories of the club's last trip to Merseyside.

A rare ray of light in Fulham's previous Premier League campaign (2020/21) was a 2-0 victory at Goodison Park, the club's first-ever league win away to Everton. Fulham had lost their previous 22 top-flight trips to the blue half of Stanley Park but are aiming to avoid defeat in consecutive visits for the first time since the 1950s.

    15/04/2023 - Everton vs Fulham (15:00)

Fulham vs Leeds - Premier League
Leeds and Fulham both came up from the Championship in the summer of 2020. While the Cottagers tumbled straight back into the second tier, Leeds recorded an impressive top-half finish.

The roles are reversed this year as Fulham launch an assault on the top ten while Leeds circle the Premier League plug-hole. With little danger of relegation for Silva's side, the loss of Mitrovic has hampered Fulham's bid to record their first top-half finish since 2012.

    22/04/2023 - Fulham vs Leeds (12:30)

Aston Villa vs Fulham - Premier League
Fulham's 3-0 thumping of Aston Villa at Craven Cottage proved to be the final nail in Steven Gerrard's coffin. Within 90 minutes of the final whistle, the former Liverpool icon was on his way out of the door, paving the way for Unai Emery to be drafted in.

Since Emery's first game in charge, Villa have earned more wins, goals and points than Fulham (and 16 other teams in the league). The Cottagers will have to go up against the resurgent force they created without their talisman.

    25/04/2023 - Aston Villa vs Fulham (19:45)

Fulham vs Man City - Premier League
Fulham were seconds away from a hard-fought point at the home of the reigning Premier League champions without Mitrovic back in November.

However, Pep Guardiola was able to summon his own goal-greedy number nine from the bench before Erling Haaland converted a soft 90th-minute penalty. Silva will not have the option of turning to Mitrovic at any point when Manchester City travel to the capital.

    30/04/2023 - Fulham vs Man City (14:00)

Liverpool vs Fulham - Premier League
Back in the hazy, sun-soaked days of August, Fulham and Mitrovic in particular announced their return to the top flight with a fully deserved 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool.

After kicking off Fulham's campaign with a towering back-post header, clambering all over a cowering Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mitrovic bamboozled Virgil van Dijk into his first concession of a Premier League penalty in almost four years with a deceptively slow shuffle of feet, converting the spot kick to put his side back ahead.

Liverpool's beleaguered backline will certainly be grateful for Mitrovic's absence.

    03/05/2023 - Liverpool vs Fulham (20:00)

Fulham vs Leicester - Premier League
Mitrovic's crisply taken strike at the King Power Stadium not only decided victory for Fulham against Leicester, but it brought his side's points tally up to 28 - the same figure that they accrued across their entire previous top-flight season.

That clincal conversion on 3 January remains Mitrovic's most-recent Premier League goal - his only one of 2023. Fulham's leading scorer - at the time of his suspension - will not have the chance to bolster his tally until after Fulham host Leicester on the second weekend of May.

    08/05/2023 - Fulham vs Leicester (15:00)

Premier League games Mitrovic will miss through suspension

    08/04/2023 - Fulham vs West Ham (15:00)
    15/04/2023 - Everton vs Fulham (15:00)
    22/04/2023 - Fulham vs Leeds (12:30)
    25/04/2023 - Aston Villa vs Fulham (19:45)
    30/04/2023 - Fulham vs Man City (14:00)
    03/05/2023 - Liverpool vs Fulham (20:00)
    08/05/2023 - Fulham vs Leicester (15:00)

When will Mitrovic be available for Fulham again?
Fulham will be able to call upon their hot-tempered talisman again by the second weekend of May. The Cottagers will only have three Premier League games left of the season to contest but Mitrovic's return will surely be warmly received. Fulham's trip back to Old Trafford on the final day of the campaign is one for all neutrals - and the available again Mitrovic - to ring in red on the calendar.

The remaining Premier League fixtures Mitrovic will be able to compete in

    13/05/2023 - Southampton vs Fulham (15:00)
    20/05/2023 - Fulham vs Crystal Palace (15:00)
    28/05/2023 - Man Utd vs Fulham (16:30)



https://www.90min.com/posts/premier-league-fixtures-aleksandar-mitrovic-will-miss-after-eight-match-ban

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📝 Jay Stansfield Injury Update

Following scans and tests at his parent club Fulham, we are pleased to report that the injury Jay Stansfield sustained at Fleetwood on Saturday is not as serious as originally feared.

Jay has responded well to to initial injury management and will return to the Cliff Hill Training Ground tomorrow to continue his rehabilitation. We are confident that he will be available for selection before the end of the season.



https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2023/april/stanno-injury-update/

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From Eric Cantona kicking a fan to Luis Suarez BITING Branislav Ivanovic... the 10 longest suspensions in Premier League history as Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic receives an eight-match ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh

    Alexsandar Mitrovic has been banned for eight games after pushing a referee
    Only eight players have received lengthier bans in Premier League history
    Sportsmail takes a look at the players who have missed eight games or more

Aleksandar Mitrovic has been handed one of the longest punishments in Premier League history after he was banned for eight games for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh in Fulham's FA Cup exit to Manchester United last month.

The normal three-match ban has been extended to eight games, though the FA are planning to appeal the suspension, as they want the Serbian striker to receive an even heftier punishment.

Mitrovic served the first match of his ban in Fulham's 2-1 defeat at the Bournemouth, and the earliest he can return is their May 13 clash against Southampton - with two games left remaining after that.

However there are ten incidents in Premier League history which led to suspensions just as long as the one Mitrovic has received.

Sportsmail takes a look at the incidents which led to the ten most lengthy bans since the inception of the Premier League.

10. Ben Thatcher (Man City) - 8 games, September 2006
Ben Thatcher received an eight-game ban following a sickening elbow on Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes.

Mendes was left unconcious after Thatcher caught him as he arrived late with his elbow - sending the Portsmouth midfielder sliding towards the advertising boards.

Thatcher got up and argued with concerned Portsmouth players and somehow he was able to escape with just a yellow card.

Mendes received oxygen on the pitch and suffered a seizure on the way to hospital.

The FA decided to take further action after the game, handing him an eight-match ban, while Man City also decided to fine Thatcher six weeks wages.

9. Luis Suarez (Liverpool) - 8 games, December 2011
Luis Suarez has the unwanted distinction of being the only player to make this list twice.

The Uruguayan striker had a controversial spell at Liverpool, and the first of his two lengthy spells on the sidelines at the club came within 12 months of joining from Ajax.

After a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on October 15, 2011, Suarez was accused of racially abusing opponent Patrice Evra.

Suarez pledged his innocence but the FA after a seven-day hearing handed Suarez an eight-match ban and a £40,000 fine.

In the next meeting in February, Suarez famously added to the fire by refusing to shake Evra's hand - something which he and then Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish later had to apologise for.

8. David Prutton (Southampton) - 10 games, March 2005
David Prutton, who now works as a commentator for Sky Sports, received a ten-match ban for a similar incident to Mitrovic.

The Southampton midfielder was sent off for a second yellow with a late studs-up challenge on Arsenal's Robert Pires.

Prutton felt the Frenchman had made a meal of the challenge, and he attempted to remonstrate the decision to award the foul with assistant referee Paul Norman who had flagged the incident up.

However, he would then go on to push on-field referee Alan Wiley more than once, as he attempted to get between Prutton and Norman.

The Southampton player would go onto be handed a ten-match ban and £6,000 fine by the FA and would later acknowledge he had made a mistake.

He only returned for Southampton's last game of the season - a must-win against Man United to ensure their Premier League safety - which they ultimately lost 2-1 to drop to the Championship.

7. Luis Suarez (Liverpool) - 10 games, April 2013
Suarez received his second long-term ban since joining the Premier League after biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic on the arm.

It was the second of three biting incidents in his career - the first of which came while playing for Ajax shortly before his Liverpool move, and the last of which came playing for Uruguay at the 2014 World Cup before he left for Barcelona.

The bite was not noticed by the officials and Suarez would go on to score a stoppage time equaliser in a 2-2 draw.

Suarez accepted the violent conduct charge for his bizarre act but denied the FA's claim that the standard three-match punishment was insufficient for his offence.

A three-man independent panel criticised Suarez for not appreciating 'the seriousness' of the incident - and he received a ten-match ban.

6. Paolo Di Canio (Sheffield Wednesday) - 11 games, September 1998
The most famous incident of a player in the Premier League clashing with a referee.

Paolo Di Canio, famous for his fiery temperament, reacted angrily after he was sent off in a match against Arsenal by referee Paul Alcock.

The Italian retaliated by shoving over the match official, who comically fell to the floor.

However, it was a costly error in judgement from Di Canio who was handed an 11-match ban and fined £10,000 for his actions.

It turned out to be the last time he played for Sheffield Wednesday, as he joined West Ham just three months later.

5. Joey Barton (Queens Park Rangers) - 12 games, May 2012
In a match famous for Sergio Aguero's dramatic stoppage time title winner, Joey Barton was sent off for QPR against his former side Man City.

At potentially the worst possible time with his side fighting for their Premier League survival on the final day of the season, Barton lost his head when he elbowed Carlos Tevez in the head with the score level at 1-1.

After he was shown the red, Barton then kicked Sergio Aguero in the back of the leg, attempted to headbutt Vincent Kompany and had to be held back from squaring up to Mario Balotelli as he walked off the pitch.

For his actions, Barton was suspended 12 games and fined £75,000 by the FA.

QPR fell to a 3-2 defeat but results elsewhere meant they fortunately survived the drop despite Barton's actions.

The club though decided to fine Barton six weeks' wages and he was loaned out to Marseille the following season.

4. Adrian Mutu (Chelsea) - 7 months, November 2004
Chelsea's £16m signing from Parma in August 2003 was sacked little more than a year later after he failed a drugs test, testing positive for cocaine.

Mutu was released from his contract in October 2004 and then received a seven month ban for his recreational drug taking - with the FA fining the Romanian £20,000.

He would then join Juventus in January 2005 - although he couldn't play for them until May that same year.

Mutu was then involved in a long drawn out legal battle with Chelsea after an order that he pay the club £15.2m following his failed drugs test.

In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights rejected Mutu's appeal against a 2015 Court of Arbitration decision that he had to solely pay the compensation to Chelsea.

3. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) - 8 months, January 2004
Rio Ferdinand was suspended for eight months in January 2004 for failing to turn up to a drugs test.

He had left after training, forgetting that the drug test was scheduled at United's Carrington base.

Ferdinand returned only to be told it was too late. However, he later undertook the test and passed.

The FA showed no forgiveness to the current BT Sport pundit and handed him the eight month ban which forced him to miss the rest of the season and Euro 2004.

2. Mark Bosnich (Chelsea) - 9 months, December 2002
Mark Bosnich was sacked by Chelsea and given a nine month ban after testing positive for cocaine.

It came just a year after he joined the Blues from Manchester United on a free transfer.

Bosnich had struggled with injuries in his first season and only made five appearances during his time at Chelsea.

The Australian keeper had developed a cocaine addiction and would not return to football under 2008 when he played for Central Coast Mariners.

1. Eric Cantona (Manchester United) - 9 months, January 1995
One of the most famous and controversial moments in Premier League history came at Selhurst Park when Manchester United were trailing Crystal Palace.

Eric Cantona was sent off for a foul on Richard Shaw and on his way to the tunnel he would kung-fu kick a supported in the crowd.

He was suspended for nine months and fined £30,000 by the FA.

Manchester United would lose the title to Blackburn Rovers with Cantona's absence a massive blow for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

It also led to the famous press conference about his actions, in which he walked out after saying: 'When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much.'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11938723/The-ten-longest-suspensions-Premier-League-history-Aleksandar-Mitrovics-ban.html

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Stansfield injury 'not as serious as originally feared'
Exeter City have released a statement tonight revealing that the injury sustained by on-loan Fulham forward Jay Stansfield at Fleetwood Tonight on Saturday is 'not as serious as originally feared'.

The 20 year-old, who was stretchered off midway through the second half of Exeter's 2-2 draw, has had scans and medical tests at Motspur Park and is due to report to Exeter's Cliff Hill training ground tomorrow to continue his rehabilitation. The Grecians also expressed confidence that Stansfield, who has scored six goals during his loan spell at St. James' Park, will feature for Gary Caldwell's side before the end of the season.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2023/04/stansfield-injury-not-as-serious-as-originally-feared/

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Man Utd's Bruno Fernandes under fresh scrutiny after FA dish out Aleksandar Mitrovic ban
Man Utd midfielder Bruno Fernandes is facing scrutiny again after the FA banned Aleksandar Mitrovic for eight games.

Bruno Fernandes is facing a new wave of scrutiny for his nudge on the linesman during Manchester United's 7-0 defeat at Liverpool. Aleksandar Mitrovic will serve an eight-game ban for his conduct towards referee Chris Kavanagh, which many believe has emphasised how lucky Fernandes was to get off scot-free.

The FA has also fined Mitrovic £75,000 for pushing and shouting in Kavanagh's face during Fulham's FA Cup capitulation at Old Trafford.

The Serbian striker's punishment means he will miss all but three of Fulham's remaining fixtures this season, potentially ending their hopes of European qualification.

And many believe the decision is harsh, considering Fernandes went unsanctioned for nudging a linesman out of his path at Anfield in March.

Fernandes' actions were investigated after full-time, but his conduct wasn't deemed improper, saving United from further disaster.

He was widely criticised for his behaviour at the time, and Mitrovic's suspension has prompted scrutiny to re-emerge.

@Jimlfc1992 tweeted: "Mitrovic being banned for eight games for doing the same thing Bruno Fernandes does every week is disgusting, to be fair."

@malbronej wrote: "Where's your consistency when it comes to the application of rules? Bruno Fernandes pushed the assistant referee and insulted him, yet he never got a yellow card. Mitrovic does something similar, and he gets an eight-match ban."

@Greg_P_C added: "Don't excuse what Mitrovic did in the slightest, but maybe if the FA had dealt with Bruno Fernandes pushing an assistant referee just a week earlier, it wouldn't have got to this point."

@GoksTalks ranted: "Mitrovic handed an eight-game ban while Bruno Fernandes is laughing at his luck during the Liverpool game. #DoubleStandards."

@jordanhiggins93 bemoaned: "I'm sorry, but this is b******s. Fernandes gets away with pushing a match official, but Mitrovic gets a big ban."

The FA has also charged Fulham manager Marco Silva, handing him a two-game touchline ban and a fine of his own.

Although Fernandes' altercation with an official was far less intense than Mitrovic's, there remains a sense that the differing outcomes were unjust.



https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1754928/Man-Utd-news-Bruno-Fernandes-Liverpool-FA-Aleksandar-Mitrovic-ban-Fulham