Championship player could face lengthy ban over alleged BITING incident - which originally went unpunished

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Preston and Blackburn played out an ill-tempered draw in Sunday's local derby

Preston North End's Deepdale
Preston North End's Deepdale

Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic could be facing a lengthy ban after he allegedly bit Blackburn Rovers defender Owen Beck during a highly-charged local derby on Sunday.

The two Championship rivals played out a tetchy goalless draw at Deepdale, with Sam Greenwood being sent off for the hosts just before half-time following a reckless challenge on Lewis Baker.

But an even bigger flashpoint followed on 88 minutes, following Beck’s red card for kicking out at Preston’s Duane Holmes, as players from both sides were drawn into a melee.

'Owen's got a big bite mark on the back of his neck': Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic in trouble following bite on Blackburn Rovers defender Owen Beck

Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace

Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace (Image credit: Chris Radburn)

After players from both of the Lancashire rivals clashed, Beck could be seen furiously protesting to referee Matthew Donahue had been bitten by Osmajic before he left the pitch.

Subsequent replays appeared to show that Liverpool loanee Beck received a bite from the Montenegrin striker on his upper back, something that Rovers boss John Eustace told the media following the match.

"Owen's got a big bite mark on the back of his neck and it's a shame the referee didn't see that,” Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire. "It's a very serious incident, no-one likes to be bitten.

“Everyone's angry about it,” he added. “It's not a nice situation to be in. I'm sure the right people will see it and we'll take it from there.”

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The BBC report that the Football Association have confirmed that they are "aware of this incident and will be looking into it".

If Osmajic is confirmed to have bitten Owen, he will likely face a lengthy suspension. Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was handed a ten-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in 2012.

This was just one of three bites that Suarez has dished out across his career, while ex-Leeds United striker Souleymane Doukara was slapped with an eight-match suspension for biting Fulham's Fernando Amorebieta in 2016.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, if it is proved that Osmajic did indeed sink his teeth into Beck, there is little argument against him receiving a ban of a similar length for reasons that we don't really have to explain here, do we?

Joe Mewis
Joe Mewis

For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.