Manchester United midfielder banned for three matches

The English Football Association has banned Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger for three matches over violent conduct.

The ruling was made after a close scrutiny of a video footage from United’s last weekend match against West Ham where  Schweinsteiger was seen catching West Ham’s Winston Reid with his left arm during a free kick.

The action did not catch the attention of the match referee Mark Clattenburg as the 31-year-old Germany captain escaped punishment. The English FA however opened investigations into the incident after the 0-0 draw leading to the ban.

A three-referee panel was formed to independently review the footage and ascertain whether there were grounds for imposing  a ban on Schweinsteiger with the conclusion reached being against the German midfielder.

The ban means that the midfielder, who signed for Manchester United from Bayern Munich last summer, will miss matches against AFC Bournemouth, Norwich and Stoke City though he will be back just in time to face Chelsea on December 28^th.

United’s season has been inconsistent with the team posing both good and poor results in equal measure. The Red Devils have posted three draws in their last three matches before they were bundled out of the Champions League after losing 3-2 to Wolfsburg on Tuesday.

The team will now have to shift their focus to Europa League, the FA Cup and the Premier League in what seems to be season of hard luck for Manager Louis van Gaal who has come under sharp criticism from United’s fans and former players over his philosophy.