Aleksandar Mitrovic should be handed a 10-game ban after his actions in Fulham's FA Cup loss, according to former Premier League referee Mark Halsey.
The Serbian had put the Cottagers 1-0 up at Manchester United as they threatened a quarter-final upset but was sent off 22 minutes after his strike as the visitors capitulated. Mitrovic was seething after a VAR call had - correctly - given United a penalty and decided to take his frustration out on the official, Chris Kavanagh.
He and the referee were in close proximity and Mitrovic threw some verbals in his direction before going on to shove him, prompting Kavanagh to send him off. This came just seconds after he'd also shown red to Willian for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Halsey is adamant that the authorities have a responsibility to protect referees and wants them to throw the book at Fulham's striker with a lengthy 10-game ban. He also blamed Fulham boss Marco Silva for escalating the situation.
He told The Sun: "In some ways, Silva was to blame for Mitrovic's action - managers have got to set an example. Mitrovic has technically assaulted Kavanagh by shoving his elbow into him and has then gone at the official with a volley of abuse. The FA have a duty of care to referees and we cannot have this at any level of football.
"They have to set an example by sanctioning Mitrovic heavily and I would expect both clubs to be charged with failing to control their players."
How long should Mitrovic be banned for? Have your say in the comments!
Roy Keane was among those to heavily criticise the west London side as he told ITV: "A mad 90 seconds and it's cost them the game. It wasn't necessarily about United winning, it was about Fulham finding a way to lose. I've no sympathy for Fulham. They won't get any plaudits from me. They had an opportunity and they blew it."
Silva, who was sent off after he stormed out of his technical area, has accepted his own share of the blame and admitted that emotions can sometimes boil over. However, he also bemoaned the fact Mitrovic saw a penalty appeal waved away earlier in the contest.
“Of course, in all the moments of the game, we should control the emotions,” Silva explained. “Of course, we are human beings, but we have to understand the business and the game that we’re playing, and we should control all the emotions. In that moment, I got the red card before the [penalty] decision came, and if I got that card because I was out of my [technical] area and that is the reason for the referee to give me a red card, I have to accept it."
