FA hands Derby´s Johnson four-match ban for biting

Derby County’s Bradley Johnson has received a four-match ban from the Football Association for a biting incident involving Stoke City’s Joe Allen.

Johnson grabbed Allen’s shirt with his teeth in a scuffle, after Oghenekaro Etebo was sent off in Stoke’s 2-1 win on Wednesday.

“Bradley Johnson has been suspended for four games after he was found to have committed an act of violent conduct for which the standard punishment would be clearly insufficient,” a spokesperson for the FA said.

“Johnson denied the charge of violent conduct with an Independent Regulatory Commission then considering the FA’s allegation that the three-match sanction should be increased.”

Unseen by officials during the match, Johnson was not dismissed but the act was caught on camera, leading to the suspension. Both players were booked for their involvement.

The Derby midfielder will miss a total of five matches, with an extra match due to his accumulation of five yellow cards.