Rapids midfielder Mullan handed 10-game ban
Reuters - Thursday 28 April 2011, 17:57
NEW YORK - Colorado Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan has been banned for
10 games and fined more than $5,000 by Major League Soccer after a horror tackle which broke
the leg of Seattle Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani.
Mullan was given an automatic one-game suspension and a $250 fine after he was shown a red
card for his wild, sliding tackle from the side in the third minute of Friday's game.
But the MLS disciplinary committee took a dim view of the tackle and added an extra nine
games and another $5,000 fine after Zakuani was ruled out for the season following surgery to
his fractured right leg.
"The Disciplinary Committee determined that Mullan's challenge was reckless, egregious, and
showed utter disregard for the safety of his opponent," the league said in a statement on
Thursday.
The suspension is the largest handed out by the league since former Houston Dynamo
midfielder Ricardo Clark was ruled out for a total of 10 games and fined $10,000 for a wild
kick at an opponent on the floor during a match in 2007.