Granada´s Benitez hit with three-month ban

Granada’s Dani Benitez has been slapped with a three-month ban following ugly scenes that marred Saturday’s La Liga match with Real Madrid.

A late David Cortes own goal gifted Jose Mourinho’s men a 2-1 victory at Nuevo Los Carmenes, with both Moises Hurtado and Guilherme Siqueira sent off for their angry protests after the final whistle.

Referee Clos Gomez was then hit in the face by a plastic bottle thrown by Benitez, who later apologised for his actions in the post-match press conference.

But the 25-year-old, who is on loan from Udinese, has now been hit with a lengthy ban by the Spanish football federation, meaning he will not available for the crucial clash with Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

The punishment must be served within competition period, so Benitez will be barred from match action until mid-November, effectively missing up to 15 games for the club.

Siqueira and Hurtado were handed four-match bans for their red cards, while Granada support staff Inaki Garcia and David Navarro have been suspended for four and two games respectively.

Granada sit just two points above the relegation places at 15th in the La Liga standings and need to avoid defeat in their final league clash with Rayo to secure their top-flight status.