Fresh fall-out emerges from biting controversy in Preston North End v Blackburn Rovers match | OneFootball

The FA are investigating after Preston striker Milutin Osmajic allegedly bit Blackburn's Owen Beck.

The FA are investigating an incident from Preston’s draw with Blackburn, after North End striker Milutin Osmajic allegedly bit Owen Beck.

In what was a highly competitive game, the hosts were reduced to ten men late in the first half after Sam Greenwood went in late on Lewis Baker.

Another major flashpoint occurred late on, as Beck was shown a red card for kicking Duane Holmes.

That caused a melee between both sets of players, and in that period Beck claims that he was bitten by Osmajic, with TV replays appearing to support the left-back.

Whilst Osmajic was booked for his part in the fracas, the alleged bite wasn’t noticed, but the Independent has revealed that the FA are looking into the incident.

Milutin Osmajic could be set for lengthy ban

This will be a real worry for Osmajic, as if he is found guilty he is in line for a lengthy suspension, as a biting offence is not covered with the standard three-game ban that you usually get for a red card.

Previously, Luis Suárez was hit with a ten-game ban when he bit Branislav Ivanovic during a Liverpool vs Chelsea game.

Therefore, the precedent has been set, and Osmajic will miss a big chunk of the campaign if he is deemed to have bitten Beck.

Most will agree that such a punishment would fit the crime, as there should obviously be no place for biting in football, and whilst you can understand that players lose their cool, thankfully, incidents like this are very rare.

John Eustace and Paul Heckingbottom react to alleged Milutin Osmajic bite

Understandably, Rovers chief John Eustace was not happy with what went on, as he told the Guardian that his side were ‘angry’ with Osmajic.

“He’s got a big bite mark on the back of his neck. It’s a shame the referee didn’t see that. He’s shown all the lads. He’s a little bit quiet, a little bit shook up. It’s a very serious incident, no one likes to be bitten. Everyone’s angry about it. I’m sure the right people will see it, and we’ll take it from there.”

Meanwhile, Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom admitted that Osmajic will deserve a ban if he is found guilty.

“There’s no place for [biting]. Mistimed tackles, things like that are part and parcel of the game, you accept them. Anything that is not has to be dealt with.”

Milutin Osmajic incident overshadows excellent Preston performance

Unfortunately for Preston, most people are now talking about this incident instead of what was a very good performance, as they battled for a point with ten men for a long period of the game.

In truth, there wasn’t much happening before Greenwood’s dismissal, but when the midfielder was sent off, you just expected Blackburn to take control.

And, whilst they then dominated possession, the reality was that they barely created a chance of note, and the longer the game went on, it was Preston who looked more likely to pick up all three points.

That shows Heckingbottom has already got the side organised and well-drilled, and there’s something to build on going into the Millwall fixture this weekend.