Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha is in danger of receiving a more severe ban from football authorities. The Football Association (FA) has charged him with additional misconduct following his sending-off during a match against Bournemouth.
Cunha, who plays as a striker for Wolves, was ejected from the FA Cup game in extra time. This occurred after he grabbed Bournemouth player Milos Kerkez by the neck and then allegedly punched, kicked, and pushed his head into Kerkez’s face.
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Credit: Rex
Referee Sam Barrott immediately issued a red card to Cunha.
Following the dismissal, the 25-year-old Brazilian argued with his manager, Vitor Pereira, and physically interacted with his teammate, Dan Bentley, as he was being led off the field.
The FA stated that Matheus Cunha is charged with improper conduct following the FA Cup match between Wolverhampton and Bournemouth on Saturday, March 1st. The alleged incident occurred around the 121st minute after he was sent off. Cunha has until Monday, March 10th, to respond to the charge.
Due to the straight red card for violent conduct, Cunha is already suspended for upcoming Premier League games against Everton, Southampton, and West Ham.
If the FA’s misconduct charge is upheld, Cunha could face an additional one-match ban. This would cause him to miss a critical game against Ipswich on April 5th, a team also fighting to avoid relegation.
Currently, Wolves are in 17th position in the league table, only five points above Ipswich, who are in 19th place and in the relegation zone.
Cunha, who is Wolves’ leading scorer with 15 goals across all competitions, was previously banned for two games and fined £80,000 in December for a confrontation during a match against Ipswich.
In that earlier incident against Ipswich, Cunha clashed with a staff member, taking the person’s glasses. This history could also play a role in the disciplinary actions taken for his recent behavior at Vitality Stadium.
Cunha’s previous ban was reduced after he apologized to the Ipswich security personnel and offered to replace the damaged glasses.
