Skrtel handed three-game ban for violent conduct
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Liverpool, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has been hit with a three-match suspension by the Football Association after being found guilty of stomping on Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea.
The incident occurred in stoppage time of Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to United at Anfield on Sunday as Skrtel chased a through ball into the United penalty area.
De Gea slid in first to claim the ball, but Skrtel continued his run and stomped on the netminder's right leg.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The incident was not spotted by referee Martin Atkinson or his assistants, meaning that the FA had the ability to take retrospective action after looking at television footage.
Skrtel was charged on Monday by the FA and denied the charge, but he has been found guilty and will miss league matches with Arsenal and Newcastle as well as the club's FA Cup quarterfinal replay against Blackburn.
Liverpool will be without captain Steven Gerrard for those three matches as well as he was sent off in Sunday's game after stomping on United's Ander Herrera less than one minute after entering the match as a substitute.