Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Matheus Cunha has been banned for five matches after an altercation with an Ipswich Town security guard.
The 25-year-old was involved in an angry scuffle after his side suffered a late 2-1 defeat at Molineux on December 14 where he allegedly left the member of the visiting side’s security team with his glasses broken.
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The Football Association (FA) subsequently charged the Brazil international with misconduct on December 17 following the incident, which took place after the full-time whistle.
Cunha played and scored in both Wolves’ 3-0 win over Leicester City on December 22 and their two-goal victory over Manchester United four days later before the FA confirmed his five-game suspension.
He will now miss his side’s upcoming Premier League matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Chelsea, alongside their FA Cup third round tie against Bristol City.
Jack Taylor scored the winning goal for Ipswich in the fourth minute of added time before angry scenes at the end of the game between representatives of the two clubs, in which Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri received a second yellow card and a subsequent red.
This was the latest disciplinary incident for Wolves after Mario Lemina was stripped of the club captaincy following a post-match altercation with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen after the 2-1 defeat at the London Stadium.
Ipswich had taken an early lead through Matt Doherty’s own goal before Cunha restored parity after the break with his eighth goal of the campaign, in what turned out to be Gary O’Neil’s final game as the club’s head coach.
O’Neil was sacked by Wolves the day after the defeat and replaced by Vitor Pereira, who oversaw the victories against Leicester and Manchester United to lift the side out of the Premier League relegation zone.
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(Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
