Lisandro Martínez gets three-match ban for pulling rival's hair

Manchester United will have to face a demanding end to the Premier League season without one of its most important defensive players. Lisandro Martínez was handed a three-match suspension after being sent off in the 2-1 defeat to Leeds for pulling an opponent’s hair.

The red card for the Argentina international center-back came in the latest round of the tournament, ten minutes into the second half, after a tussle with Dominic Calvert-Lewin. With the ball being contested, he grabbed his opponent by the hair bun, which led to VAR intervention and the referee’s subsequent decision.

The official in charge of the review, Paul Tierney, considered the action violent conduct and recommended an immediate red card. Based on that interpretation, the main referee did not hesitate to send him off before the final whistle at Old Trafford, but it did not end there. As the days went by, it resulted in a harsher sanction than expected.

According to English regulations, this type of offense usually carries a two-match suspension, but it ultimately became three. That difference caused surprise around the Red Devils, who did not hide their displeasure with the disciplinary ruling.

Manager Michael Carrick expressed his dissatisfaction at a press conference after learning of Lisandro’s suspension: “We are tremendously disappointed, of course. I think there are quite a few reasons to be very disappointed about these kinds of situations over the last three weeks. But, obviously, now we have to move on. The decisions have already been made, it is something that disappoints us greatly in many ways, but that’s it. We have to move on and we will.”

The defender had just returned to action after two months out with an injury and had started that league match. However, this punishment will sideline him again at a key moment in the season. The schedule offers no respite, and Manchester United will have to play without him against Chelsea, Brentford and Liverpool, crucial matches in the fight to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

With only six matches left to play, the Argentine will miss half of the run-in. He is expected to return on May 9, when his team faces Sunderland.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.