Aston Villa midfielder Leandro Bacuna has been given a six-game match ban for abusing a match official in Villa’s 1-0 win against Steve McClaren’s Derby County at Villa Park.
The 25-year-old, who was made 22 appearances this season for Villa, was dismissed following an altercation with assistant referee Mark Russell in stoppage time.
The Dutchman will not be available for Villa until the 8th of April when they travel to Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium.
This means that Bacuna will be ruled out of games against Rotherham, Huddersfield, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan Athletic, Norwich and QPR. It’s the latest blow for Villa who are struggling near the foot of the Championship table.
Following their relegation from the Premier League last season, Villa find themselves 15th in the Championship table, nine points above the bottom four.
When manager Steve Bruce was asked about Bacuna’s six-game ban, the 56-year-old said, as reported by the Birmingham Mail, “Leandro overstepped the mark but I think six matches is harsh. We will have a look and decide if we’re going to appeal it.”
