Juventus winger Douglas Costa risks at least a three-match ban, possibly closer to five, after spitting at a Sassuolo player.
The Brazilian was a substitute in today’s 2-1 win over Sassuolo at the Juventus Stadium.
There was a tussle with Federico Di Francesco (the son of Roma Coach Eusebio) in the build-up to the Sassuolo consolation goal in the final minutes.
First he seemed to lash out an elbow, then attempted a headbutt.
Juventus winger Douglas Costa risks at least a three-match ban, possibly closer to five, after spitting at a Sassuolo player.
The Brazilian was a substitute in today’s 2-1 win over Sassuolo at the Juventus Stadium.
There was a tussle with Federico Di Francesco (the son of Roma Coach Eusebio) in the build-up to the Sassuolo consolation goal in the final minutes.
First he seemed to lash out an elbow, then attempted a headbutt.
The pair continued arguing until Douglas Costa spat at Di Francesco from point-blank range.
It was caught on camera and the VAR officials in the booth immediately alerted the referee, who sent him off.
There is no mandatory ban in Serie A for a straight red or for spitting, but there are some precedents.
This type of incident tends to warrant a three-match ban.
Douglas Costa could well be worse off because there was also the elbow and headbutt to take into account.
It’s potentially crucial, because Juventus will face Napoli three rounds from now, so anything more than two games and he’d miss the big clash.
Max Allegri stated in the Press conference that the Brazilian will "certainly" be fined by the club.
This is going to be a huge story in world football. Douglas Costa spits in Federico Di Francesco's mouth during the #Juve and #Sassuolo game. pic.twitter.com/IXyYDClct8
— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) September 16, 2018