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Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is in danger of being banned for three domestic games as he was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association. The German was involved in a scuffle with West Ham centre-back Winston Reid towards the end of the first half where the former appeared to elbow Reid in the throat.
United played a 0-0 stalemate against West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, as they failed to score once again after a good attacking second half. The Hammers missed a few golden opportunities in the first half and could have taken a substantial lead, but United fought back in the second half and missed a few close chances of their own.
Old Trafford was filled with boos at the final whistle after another performance that did nothing to dispel the ‘boring United’ claims as they dominated possession but failed to finish off chances. They fell to fourth place on the table behind Leicester City, Arsenal and cross-town rivals Manchester City, and now face another setback in their campaign after Bastian Schweinsteiger was charged by the FA for violent conduct after the game.
The incident took place in the 40th minute as the German midfielder appeared to have elbowed West Ham defender Winston Reid in the throat as he looked to take a quick freekick. The referee, Mark Clattenburg, or any of his assistants did not see the incident which means that retrospective action can be taken. The referee did give a talking-to to both players after the foul but did not give out any cards.
In a statement on its website, the Football Association gave notice about the charge on the former Bayern Munich captain. They also confirmed that the matter was referred to a panel of three former elite referees, who each reviewed the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they considered it a sending-off offence. Schweinsteiger has until Thursday, i.e. the 10th of December to reply to the charge.
It was a straight red card offense: Bilic
Slaven Bilic, the West Ham manager was quick to give his verdict on the matter post-game and said that it was a clear straight red card and the United midfielder should have been sent off. Reid also accused him of assault and expressed his displeasure.
He said, “He knows what he’s done — he’s elbowed me in the face.”
This will come as a serious jolt to Louis van Gaal and United as Schweinsteiger faces a potential three-match ban if found guilty. After starting slowly this season, the German has become a regular fixture in the starting lineup and helped United rescue a 2-1 win in injury time against Watford after he had forced an own goal earlier. He was highly influential in United’s 1-1 draw against Leicester and scored the equalizer for his team.
He has been the lynchpin of United and Van Gaal's possession-heavy style of play and will miss important games away to Bournemouth and Stoke City along with a home game against Norwich. His manager will not be pleased after losing his key midfielder as he deals with a tight injury situation and the busy Christmas period also looming large on the horizon.
