Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic has received an eight-game ban from the Football Association for biting Blackburn’s Owen Beck.
The 25-year-old Montenegro international, who accepted the charge of violent conduct, has also been fined £15,000.
The incident occurred after Beck was sent off in the closing minutes of September’s goalless Lancashire derby for kicking Preston’s Duane Holmes.
Osmajic will be unavailable for selection until Preston’s home Championship match against Derby on Saturday, November 23.
The FA stated that they will publish written reasons for the suspension “in due course,” while Preston has indicated that they will refrain from making further comments until then.
Following Beck’s dismissal, a confrontation erupted between players from both teams, with the 22-year-old Liverpool loanee arguing with referee Matthew Donahue that he had been bitten by Osmajic.
Osmajic received a yellow card for his involvement in the incident.
However, after television replays suggested that Osmajic had bitten Beck on his upper back, and given that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology is not employed in the Championship, the FA reviewed the footage and subsequently charged the Preston forward.
Speaking after the game Blackburn manager John Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire: “Owen’s got a big bite mark on the back of his neck and it’s a shame the referee didn’t see that.”
Prior to Osmajic being handed the ban, Preston director Peter Ridsdale told Talksport that the forward “had accepted” the charge and would also face an internal disciplinary process.
“We’ve already indicated to the player what we’re doing,” said Ridsdale.
“I want to keep that obviously in-house but you can be assured that that’s not something that we condone as a football club and we’ve taken appropriate action.”
Osmajic, who signed with the Lilywhites from Cadiz in September 2023, has netted five goals in 11 appearances this season, including two in Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over Watford.
In comparison, Luis Suarez, then playing for Liverpool, was handed a 10-match ban in 2013 for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.