Victor Osimhen has received a two match ban for his reaction to the red card he received in Napoli’s 2-0 win over Venezia in their first Serie A game of the season over the weekend.
The Nigerian was shown a straight red card in the 23rd minute for an alleged punch on Venezia defender Daan Heymans during a tussle for space in the box with Napoli about to take a corner kick.
In the referees’s report after the game it was described as an incident of “voluntarily striking an opposition player with a slap to the face while the ball was at a distance”. He was also fined €5,000.
The suspension means he will miss Napoli’s upcoming games against Genoa and Juventus. His absence will no doubt affect the chances of Napoli starting the season on a high under new coach Luciano Spalleti.
Spalleti backed the decision to send the striker off and warmed him to be mindful of his conduct next time.
