Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be facing a suspension after throwing this nasty elbow
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings should be expecting calls from the FA after their antics on Saturday. The two players were at each other's throats throughout Manchester United and Bournemouth's 1-1 draw, with two major incidents going apparently unseen by referee Kevin Friend.
The boiling point came just before the stroke of halftime when Mings appeared to intentionally stomp on Ibrahimovic's head while the striker was on the ground. Shortly afterward, Ibrahimovic looked to throw a retaliatory elbow at the Bournemouth centerback.
https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/838023738872360960
Both players pleaded their innocence after the match.
"Not at all," Ming said to Sky Sports when asked if he deliberately stamped on Ibrahimovic. "I would never do that. That's not in my game. Hard and fair is how I like to tackle but off the ball stuff like that isn't in my game."
Ibrahimovic took a similar tone with regards to the elbow.
"With the elbow I see it clearly, I jump up, I jump high, I protect myself, same time I go for the ball and he jumps into my elbow," Ibrahimovic said.
Both players can deny any wrongdoing all they'd like, but the evidence speaks for itself. If viewed as independent incidents, both of them should have been sent off for their respective actions. The FA disciplinary committee will have to await Friend's match report before deciding to take action (if the referee saw it, they cannot punish the players, but if he didn't then they can take action), but the odds are high they will.
Ibrahimovic and Mings should be looking at a pair of several-match bans.
