Swansea City midfielder Marko Stamenic has been ruled out of the South Wales derby with Cardiff City later this month after failing in his appeal to overturn the red card he received at Birmingham City at the weekend. The Football Association has also demanded an explanation from Birmingham after objects appeared to be thrown onto the field during the match.
Stamenic's three-match ban confirmed
The New Zealand international was sent off in the 26th minute of the 2-1 defeat at St Andrew's, but the Swans appealed the decision in the hope of having him available for the derby. Their efforts have failed, and he has now been handed a three-game ban, ruling him out of matches against West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough, as well as the Cardiff fixture on November 29.
Speaking after the defeat to Birmingham, Vitor Matos claimed Stamenic was unlucky to receive his marching orders on the day. "There's no contact between the two players, so then it's the judgement of the ref if that's a red or not," he said. "I am here already [in English football] for a good amount of time - I was here before. I saw so many challenges worse than this in the last game. Some of these challenges end up with players injured. It's just harsh when we have this challenge and then there's a red card."
FA seeks explanation over fan disorder
The Football Association has contacted Birmingham City for an explanation after objects appeared to be thrown onto the field during their 2-1 win over the Swans. The game was interrupted during the second half after goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux complained of missiles being thrown from the crowd.
In a statement, Birmingham said: "The club would like to thank the overwhelming majority of supporters for the passion, energy and backing you showed on Saturday at our Remembrance Day fixture against Swansea City. It helped the team deliver a great result. However, the actions of a very small minority cast a shadow over the day. Several objects were thrown onto the pitch from the Tilton End. This is completely unacceptable. There is no place for this behaviour at Birmingham City Football Club."
The statement added: "The incidents were reported by the referee to the Football Association who have contacted the club for an explanation of the events. The club is working closely with the police and assisting them with their enquiries. We will support the police with its investigations to ensure the appropriate action is taken against anyone who is identified to have broken the law."
Akinfenwa backs Swans for promotion
Former Swansea striker Adebayo Akinfenwa has backed his former club to go up despite their recent loss of form. The Swans sit sixth in the Championship table having lost three of their last four, after previously enjoying their best start to a league campaign for over a century.
"I always want Swansea to do well, and they started off like a house on fire, and although they've had a little bit of a dip of late, they are still in a really good position," he told Betway. "The Championship is hard, though, and it's intense, and there are so many games. We aren't even halfway through it yet, but you need a bit of luck with injuries, and as cliche as it is, you have to take it game by game. I still back them to go up this year, whether it's automatically or through the playoffs, I've seen enough from this side to believe they are capable of that."
