Aliadiere face elongated ban

Middlesborough’s appeal against Jeremie Aliadiere was rejected by the FA and he was handed an extra one-match ban for his malevolent slap on Mascherano in their 3-2 loss against Liverpool. The former Arsenal player will now face a four-match ban for violent conduct.

Aliadiere was sent off late in the Anfield encounter after he slapped Javier Mascherano, who grabbed his face as they waited for a throw-in. Boro manager Gareth Southgate supports the referee’s decision to send off Aliadiere when he told the club’s official website, “If you raise your hands away from home with a young referee there isn’t much alternative. But I’m not going to crucify Jeremie. He’s been fantastic all season, and it’s a lesson he’s got to learn from.

“The harshest thing for him is he’s going to miss three games and, with the strikers we’ve got now, he’s going to have to sit out and work his way back into the side.”

[By: Shahnawaz Alam]

Photo: The Sun