Preston Striker Milutin Osmajic Receives Eight-Match Ban for Biting Incident

Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic has received an eight-match suspension and a £15,000 fine for biting Blackburn Rovers defender Owen Beck during a Sky Bet Championship match on 22 September at Deepdale, Sky News reported. This goalless Lancashire derby not only saw Osmajic penalized but also Beck, a Welsh international on loan from Liverpool, being sent off for retaliating against Duane Holmes.

Blackburn boss John Eustace remarked post-match about the visible bite mark on Beck's neck, saying the player was shaken by the incident. The Football Association confirmed the punishment after Osmajic confessed to the act of violent conduct in the 87th minute of the match. The FA plans to release detailed reasons for the ruling in due course.

Osmajic's unavailability will last until Preston faces Derby on 23 November, and internally, Preston’s director, Peter Risdale, indicated that the club has addressed the issue privately with the player. The incident mirrors previous high-profile bans, such as Luis Suarez, who was sidelined for ten matches in 2013 for biting an opponent, and Eric Cantona's nine-month suspension for attacking a fan.

There’s a chance Osmajic and Beck might encounter each other on 14 October as their national teams, Montenegro and Wales, clash in the Nations League. In similar past scenarios, clubs like Preston have consistently shown zero tolerance for such misconduct, opting to impose their layer of disciplinary measures.

Earlier, SSP wrote that a heartbroken wife learned of her husband's double life from a Father's Day card.