Preston forward Milutin Osmajic has been handed an eight-match ban after biting Blackburn’s Owen Beck during last month’s 0-0 draw at Deepdale.
The Montenegro international left teeth marks on the shoulder of Rovers defender Owen Beck but managed to avoid a red card, as referee Matt Donohue did not witness the biting incident.
Interestingly, Donohue did issue a red card to Beck for kicking out at Duane Holmes moments earlier.
As a result of his violent conduct, Beck received a three-match ban and has already missed Blackburn’s games against QPR and Coventry.
On Friday, the Football Association found Osmajic guilty of violent conduct.
His ban is significantly longer than Beck’s due to the severity of the offence.
A statement from the FA issued on Friday morning read: “Preston North End’s Milutin Osmajic has been given an eight-match suspension and £15,000 fine for misconduct during their match against Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Championship on Sunday 22 September.
“The forward admitted that he committed an act of violent conduct around the 87th minute by biting an opponent.
“An independent Regulatory Commission imposed his sanctions following a hearing.
“Its written reasons will be published in due course.”
Osmajic’s ban will take effect immediately, despite having already played in two matches since the incident where he bit Beck, including Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over Watford, in which he scored two goals.
In the match, left-back Beck was sent off after swiping at Holmes in response to Yuki Ohashi’s foul on Osmajic.
Following the foul, Osmajic got to his feet and confronted Beck, using his head to push against the back of the Reds loanee’s neck.
After the game, Blackburn boss John Eustace addressed the incident in his post-match press conference, revealing that Beck had a visible bite mark on the back of his neck.
Osmajic is not the first footballer to face a lengthy ban from the FA for biting.
In 2013, Luis Suarez received a 10-match suspension while playing for Liverpool after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.
The Uruguayan forward, who had also bitten Otman Bakkal in 2010 while at Ajax in the Netherlands, went on to reoffend during the 2014 FIFA World Cup when he infamously sank his teeth into the shoulder of Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.
Meanwhile, Beck joined Preston on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool in August.
He has been with Liverpool since 2015 and has previously spent loan spells at Famalicao, Bolton, and Dundee.
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