Harry Maguire Faces Ban, Will Miss Manchester United vs. Chelsea Match
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a one-match suspension. The Football Association found he used abusive language toward the fourth official.
FA charge and ruling
The FA charged Maguire on April 1. It said he acted in an improper and abusive manner towards fourth official Matt Donohue.
The red card came at Bournemouth. Referee Stuart Atwell dismissed Maguire for denying a goalscoring opportunity on Evanilson.
The decision means Harry Maguire Faces Ban and will sit out United’s trip to Stamford Bridge. He missed the subsequent 2-1 home loss to Leeds.
Lisandro Martínez appeal and hair-pull guidance
Lisandro Martínez also faces suspension after his sending off against Leeds. VAR John Brooks summoned referee Paul Tierney to review a hair-pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
United are appealing Martínez’s likely three-game ban. The club argues he did not pull with force and was contesting the ball.
PGMO officials remain confident the rule was applied correctly. Referees were briefed this season that hair pulling qualifies as violent conduct.
Precedent and official comments
Earlier in the campaign, Everton’s Michael Keane was judged to have pulled Tolu Arokodare’s braided hair. That incident occurred during a 1-1 draw at the Molineux.
Howard Webb, head of the Professional Game Match Officials, said hair grabbing with force is violent conduct. He made the comments on the Mic’d Up refereeing review programme.
Defensive options and injuries
Michael Carrick must reshuffle his defence for Chelsea. Matthijs de Ligt remains unavailable with a back injury.
United are likely to pair Leny Yoro, 20, with 19-year-old Ayden Heaven at centre-back. The selections would be a youthful solution at Stamford Bridge.
Match stakes and table implications
United sit third in the table while Chelsea occupy sixth. A United win would strengthen their Champions League qualification hopes.
A defeat would narrow the gap between the sides to four points. United declined to comment on the disciplinary matters.
Filmogaz.com will monitor any updates to the bans and the club’s appeal outcome.
