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FOOTBALL

Ibrahimovic and Mings charged with ‘violent conduct’ after clash

Swedish Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings were charged with violent conduct on Monday over two incidents in Saturday's 1-1 draw.

Ibrahimovic and Mings charged with 'violent conduct' after clash
Tyrone Mings and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA via AP

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 face three-game bans, but England's Football Association said in Mings' case the standard punishment was “clearly insufficient”.

“Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings have both been charged with alleged violent conduct following the Manchester United versus AFC Bournemouth game on Saturday,” the FA said in a statement.

“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'.”

The two players have until 6pm on Tuesday to respond to the charges.

Match referee Kevin Friend spoke to Ibrahimovic, who had already been booked, following his elbow on Mings, but neither player was cautioned.

As a result, the incident was referred to a panel of three former elite referees, who unanimously concluded that both offences merited red cards.

Ibrahimovic, United's top scorer with 26 goals, denied deliberately elbowing Mings, saying: “I jump up and jump high and he jumps into my elbow. It is not my intention to hurt someone.”

A three-game ban would see Ibrahimovic miss United's trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals as well as Premier League games with Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion.

Mings said he had not intentionally stamped on Ibrahimovic's head.

“I would never do that. That's not in my game,” he said. “Hard and fair is how I like to tackle, but off-the-ball stuff like that isn't part of my game.”

At the very least, Mings stands to miss league matches against West Ham United, Swansea City and Southampton.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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