Lazio's Patric banned 4 matches for biting opponent
Lazio defender Patric has been banned for four matches and fined €10,000 for biting Lecce's Giulio Donati, Serie A announced Wednesday.
Patric lowered his head and sunk his teeth into Donati's arm during stoppage time of Tuesday's 2-1 win for relegation-threatened Lecce. The result left Lazio seven points adrift of league-leading Juventus after 31 matches.
Lazio defender Patric was sent off for biting Lecce's Giulio Donati. pic.twitter.com/C681xLtPuz
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 7, 2020
It was widely expected Patric would receive tougher punishment for the incident. Before the four-game ban was confirmed, The Associated Press said the bite could've been deemed more serious than usual given the sanitary concerns spurred by the coronavirus pandemic.
Patric is set to miss meetings with Sassuolo, Udinese, and Cagliari, as well as the top-of-the-table clash against Juventus in Lazio's third-last game of the Serie A campaign. He should be available for the season-ending tilt at Hellas Verona.
Barcelona's Luis Suarez was banned for 10 matches in 2013 when he bit an opponent while playing for Liverpool in the Premier League. He also missed nine outings for Uruguay for his infamous bite on Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.