Markovic has been banned for four games
With the announcement that Liverpool’s Lazar Markovic would receive a 4-match ban for his sending off against FC Basel in the group stage of the Champions League, 95% of the football world reacted with a mixture of surprise and shock.
It was clear that the 20 year old Serbian was going to receive a ban of some description, but four matches for what basically amounted to ‘flicking’ an opposing player’s nose (some would even suggest without intent) does appear overly harsh on the youngster.
The current season has been one of much controversy, much of it surrounding the awful standing of refereeing in both the Premier League and Europe. Seeing Chelsea’s Diego Costa escape for two of his three stamps during the Capital One Cup semi final second leg, whilst England captain Wayne Rooney has his corner defended by the England manager after a blatant dive, is sure to make the decision really stick in the craw of many Liverpool and neutral fans.
Even Markovic himself took to Twitter to express his surprise at the decision this morning, simply tweeting:
— Lazar Markovic (@LMarkec50) February 17, 2015
But, whilst Liverpool fans and the player himself are largely unimpressed with the decision, the club have declined the opportunity to appeal, meaning that the Reds will be without a player that has played himself into a first-team regular since December for the next two rounds, should the team progress that far.
Considering the way that Markovic has improved in recent weeks, and the fact that even the sending off was deemed harsh at the time, should the club have taken action and appealed the player’s ban? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
