After getting a red card for assaulting the referee Chris Kavanagh during Fulham’s loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter final, Aleksandar Mitrovic said he “regrets” his conduct and apologised to the official.
After he was sent off for assaulting the official during Fulham’s recent loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup, Aleksandar Mitrovic has apologised to Chris Kavanagh and expressed his regret for his actions. Mitrovic’s actions caused Fulham to lose to Manchester United.
Mitrovic scored the goal that gave the Londoners the lead in the second half of their quarter final match against Manchester United earlier this month at Old Trafford. Willian then used his hand to deliberately block a shot on the line, which completely changed the dynamic of the match. Mitrovic got angry and put his hands on the referee, prompting Marco Silva, the manager of Fulham, to show him the red card while Kavanagh was reviewing the event on the video replay system. The Serbian striker was also dismissed, bringing Fulham’s total number of players down to only nine after Willian’s dismissal.
Fulham was the superior team until the second half confrontation, but Manchester United scored their penalty and went on to win the match by a score of 3-1, much to the dismay of their opponents.
Because of his actions at Old Trafford, Mitrovic will likely get a lengthy suspension from the club. And the 28-year-old player, whose actions have been highly criticised, has broken his silence on the event, admitting that he has apologised to Kavanagh and accepted a fine from the club. His actions have been severely criticised.
The forward for Fulham said, “On a personal level, I regret my conduct that resulted in my getting sent off.” I let my irritation get the best of me, so my response was inappropriate to the situation. I was attempting to draw the referee’s attention, but I recognised that I should not have placed my hands on him, and I got why he showed me a red card. This was my first in-game sending off for Fulham and my first since the 2015–16 season.
He added: “I was trying to get the referee’s attention, but I should not have put my hands on him”.
“I already said sorry to my team-mates but would also like to apologise to the Fulham fans.”
“I have accepted the three-match ban for my red card, I have spoken to Chris Kavanagh to apologise, and I have volunteered to accept a club fine. I now want to do what I can to put this incident behind me and get back to helping my teammates on the pitch as soon as possible.”
The manager of Fulham has also issued a public apology for the outburst he had directed towards Kavanagh. “I could have managed my own emotions better,” Silva, who is accused of throwing a water bottle in the direction of the referee, said after the match.
“I am sorry for everything that took place, and I have already apologised to Chris Kavanagh. He is aware of the respect I have for him and the work he does. On that particular day, I am sorry to say that I did not agree with him, but I do acknowledge that he is one of the most talented referees in our country”.
“When our lives inevitably collide again, I have no doubt that we will treat one another with the utmost respect”.
The typical suspension for receiving a red card is three matches; however, The FA has already stated that their customary punishment is “obviously insufficient” in light of Mitrovic’s behaviour. Both the striker and Silva have been charged with abusive behaviour towards the match officials. The striker has been charged with violent and improper conduct. Silva has been charged with abusive behaviour.
