Ibrahimović adds to his track record of assault another incident, yet the American league's disciplinary committee says a warning would suffice
A week ago, LAFC’s defender Mohammed El-Munir was badly injured due to a collision by the LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimović during the derby of LA.
Although several international media outlets, such as the Daily Mail, predicted that Ibra would face a lengthy ban because of the incident, the MLS disciplinary committee found a formal warning to the Swedish player adequate.
Who is Mohammed Al-Munir?
Mohammed El-Munir, 27-year-old, began his career at the age of 19 with the Libyan Football club Al-Ittihad.
After the Libyan revolution in 2011 he moved to Serbia to join Yagodina soccer club, which lasted until 2015, and then signed a deal with the Belarusian Dynamo Minsk for a year, but decided to return to Serbia and join the Partizan Pelagrad club.
In December 2018, El-Munir received an opportunity to move to Orlando City, which decided, in an exchange deal, to send him to Los Angeles FC.
Details of the incident
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, an aerial duel between El-Munir and Ibrahimović occurred in which the Libyan player was elbowed by the Swedish striker resulting in breaking El-munir’s cheekbone and he was rushed afterwards to a medical clinic.
The referee ruled a foul for LAFC without giving any warning to Ibrahimović. And what was really odd, the "VAR" technique, even though it was available, was not even resorted to, which prompted officials at LAFC to demand an investigation into the incident and Ibra to be punished for his unjustified conduct.
Ibrahimović ... A track record of suspension
This is not the first time the Swede Ibrahimović has used violence on the pitch. He has been suspended several times in his football career. While in Milan, he was banned from playing for three games because of beating his opponent in the stomach. In addition, when he was playing for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in France, he was suspended for two games for kicking the goalkeeper in the chest, and three months after this incident, he was punished with another ban because he stepped on his opponent.
Moreover, in his career in the US, Ibrahimović got a red card after slapping Michael Petraso, from Montreal, on the side of his head. Also, in May he was banned from playing two games after holding New York goalkeeper NYFC Shawn Jones from his neck.
Punishment requires unanimity
The American league's disciplinary committee consists of five members, including three former players, a former coach and a former referee.
This committee reviews weekly a set of recorded matches, including those in which the referee has not awarded a red or yellow card. The committee has the right to issue a decision to suspend a player for several games in the event that they deliberately harms the safety of other players.
However, this decision requires a unanimous consent of the members of the disciplinary committee, which was not available in the El-Munir and Ibrahimovic incident. The Commission merely issued a warning to Ibrahimović if similar conduct was to be occurred in the future.
Reactions
The incident mostly left angry reactions. After the end of the match, a verbal clash broke out between Los Angeles FC goalkeeper coach Zaki Abdel Fattah and Ibrahimović, who told Abdel Fattah “Go home you little b****, go home.”
On the other hand, the Egyptian defender in the New York Red Bulls team, Amr Tariq
Tweeted "This is unbelievable! El-Munir will undergo surgery tomorrow."
Tarek, a friend and ex-colleague of El-Munir in Orlando City, posted pictures showing the fracture of the Libyan defender, along with X-rays showing the broken cheekbone.
On social media however, bloggers expressed displeasure with Ibra's actions and his frequent use of violence, some of whom said he deliberately injured El-Munir and was not suspended due to political reasons.
ESPN reported that Los Angeles FC officials confirmed that El-Munir would be out of the league for at least four weeks until he fully recovered.
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