Angel di Maria Receives Four Games Match Ban
Paris St-Germain forward Angel di Maria has been banned for four matches for his role in a bad-tempered Ligue 1 defeat by Marseille on the 13th of September. The 32-year-old former Real Madrid and Manchester United player was accused of spitting at Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez during a match in which five players were also sent off after a late brawl.
The Argentina international was one of seven Paris Saint-Germain players to test positive for coronavirus before the season. but the former Manchester United winger Di Maria returned a negative Covid-19 test before the French top-flight season began. The league did not confirm his ban was for spitting The video assistant referee chose not to take action against Di Maria at the time of the incident with Gonzalez and he played the full game as champions PSG lost 1-0.
Paris Saint Germain’s Neymar, Leandro Paredes and Layvin Kurzawa, and Marseille’s Jordan Amavi and Dario Benedetto, were all dismissed in injury time of the game which ended 1-0 in favour of Marseille. As he left the pitch, Neymar told the fourth official he had heard a racist comment. The Brazilian forward later posted on social media that his “only regret” was not hitting Spanish defender Gonzalez in the face. Gonzalez has denied any wrongdoing.
In announcing Di Maria’s ban which begins on the 29th of September the Ligue de Football Professionnel said it will “examine the file” relating to Neymar and Gonzalez on 30 September.