AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been banned for three matches for punching an opponent in the stomach, ruling him out of the derby against Inter Milan on April 3.
Ibrahimovic, who had been booked earlier in the match, was given a straight red card for hitting Marco Rossi in the 73rd minute of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Bari after the defender beat him to a header.
In recent weeks, Ibrahimovic has been a shadow of the player who was destroying defences earlier in the season, and he has came under a lot of criticism for his performance against Spurs in the Champions League.
Nevertheless this is a huge blow to Milan’s title hopes. Milan currently holds a five-point lead over Inter with nine matches remaining. In addition to the Milan derby, Ibra will moss the matches against Palermo and Fiorentina.
