Yesterday he denied the Football Association’s charge of violent conduct, but today Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel recieved a three-match retroactive ban after being found guilty of stamping on Manchester United ‘keeper David de Gea during the closing seconds of Sunday’s meeting.
The altercation, which was not initially spotted by the ref or his other officials, meant the FA was open to review the incident following the match. The Slovakian responded in kind to the decision of the independent Football Association disciplinary panel by uploading a picture of three clowns to his Instagram account. The uncaptioned picture could have warranted a further ban, but the 30-year old will not be picking up any additional sanctions despite the obvious, petulant reference to the decision.
The Reds, and the defender, have yet to comment, though Skrtel has maintained that any contact with the Spanish shot-stopper was accidental. While that’s up for debate among the football community, what’s not is his three match ban that will see him miss Premier League outings with Arsenal and Newcastle United as well as the FA Cup quarter-final replay with Championship side Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.
The Slovakian will be in good company on the sidelines though with Steven Gerrard also serving a three match ban after being shown a straight red card less than a minute after replacing the injured Adam Lallana at the half-time break. The former Southampton skipper is expected to be out at least two weeks recovering from a groin injury and striker Daniel Sturridge, who is carrying a hip injury, could also be set for a spell on the sidelines.
