Soccer

Napoli’s Higuain banned for four matches after red-card protests

Argentina player received a red card in his team’s 3-1 defeat by Udinese at the weekend

Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain reacts after he received a red card during the Italian Serie A football match against Udinese. Photograph: Getty Images
Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain reacts after he received a red card during the Italian Serie A football match against Udinese. Photograph: Getty Images
Tue Apr 05 2016 - 16:54

Napoli's bid for the Serie A title suffered a setback on Tuesday after striker Gonzalo Higuain was banned for four matches for reacting angrily to being shown a red card during his team's 3-1 defeat by Udinese on Sunday.

Higuain, Serie A’s top scorer with 30 goals, errupted in anger when he was given his marching orders in the 75th minute for a second bookable offence.

He pushed the referee and loudly argued with the official before being removed from the pitch by fellow players.

Higuain was also slapped with a €20,000 fine, the Serie A league’s disciplinary committee said in a statement on its website.

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Higuain’s ban means he will miss second-placed Napoli’s matches against Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Bologna and AS Roma.

With seven games left in the season, Napoli trail leaders Juventus by six points.

The disciplinary committee also suspended Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri for one game “for challenging the work of the match officials with offensive expressions.”