Aleksandar Mitrovic receives lengthy ban for push on referee

Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has been hit with an eight-game suspension for his push on referee Chris Kavanagh during last month's defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup.

Reacting to the dismissal of teammate Willian, Mitrovic squared up to Kavanagh and put his hands on the official, earning an immediate red card.

A three-game suspension was deemed 'insufficient' by the Football Association, who have now handed down a longer punishment.

A Fulham statement read: “Following a hearing in relation to our FA Cup tie with Manchester United last month, an Independent Regulatory Commission has decided that:

• Aleksandar Mitrovic should be suspended for a total of eight games, one of which he has already served. He should also pay a £75,000 fine;
• Marco Silva should serve a touchline ban for two games, and pay a £20,000 fine for the incident which saw him sent off;
• Marco Silva should pay a separate £20,000 fine for his media comments after the match;
  The club should be fined £40,000 for the failure to prevent its players surrounding the referee.”

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Mitrovic missed Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth as part of the initial suspension and will now be sidelined for a further seven games.

The Cottagers are due to face West Ham, Everton, Leeds, Aston Villa and Manchester City in April, with Liverpool and Leicester their first opponents in May. It will leave Mitrovic with just three possible appearances before the end of the campaign against Southampton, Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

Mitrovic has apologised to Kavanagh for the push but insisted he was simply trying to get the official's attention.