LAZIO defender Patric has been banned for four games and fined £9,000 after BITING Lecce’s Giulio Donati.
The ex-Barcelona star lost his head and saw red in stoppage time as Lazio’s Serie A title bid all but ended with a 2-1 loss at the relegation strugglers.
Lazio defender Patric must sit out four games for biting Giulio Donati, who has accepted the defender’s apology
Lecce’s Donati turns in shock after Spaniard Patric bit him – but in the end it was the ex-Barcelona star who will suffer most
But Lecce right-back Donati, 30, has DEFENDED Patric – because the 27-year-old did no physical harm and said sorry afterwards.
Donati told ANSA: “He did nothing to me and apologised straight after, so bear that in mind.
“I also live with emotions so I understand Patric why, in such a hard-fought game, did what he did.
“Patric apologised straight after.
“His gesture was rightfully punished with a red, but it didn’t do me any harm.
“Therefore, I’d ask people to think long and hard before judging him.
“The Lazio player made things right, unlike [Federio] Bonazzoli who didn’t even apologise [for a kick]. That saddens me.”
Second-placed Lazio remain seven points behind champions Juventus with seven games remaining.
And Patric will be suspended for top-flight clashes with Sassuolo, Udinese, Cagliari and Juve.
His four-match ban compares to the 10-game Premier League ban handed to then-Liverpool star Luis Suarez for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in 2013.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
