In an extraordinary turn of events, Liverpool loanee Owen Beck was sent off for Blackburn after being bitten by Preston’s Milutin Osmajic in their 0-0 draw.
It sounds unusual, but as Liverpool fans know, it is very much plausible for a player to be bitten on a football pitch.
This latest bizarre moment took place on Sunday lunchtime in the local Lancashire match-up between Blackburn and Preston.
After a fiery Championship affair that had already seen Preston’s Sam Greenwood sent off controversially, tensions reached their apex in the 88th minute.
With the score at 0-0, the referee awarded an innocuous free-kick to Osmajic in the Blackburn half.
Owen Beck is OFF ?
Both sides are down to 10 men ? pic.twitter.com/8COc4YDE0O
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 22, 2024
Preston substitute Dune Holmes then decided to shove Todd Cantwell before Liverpool’s Beck kicked out at him as he tried to run away, sending Holmes to ground in the process.
Osmajic took exception to this in an extreme way, approaching Beck from behind and biting him on the neck.
Shocked, Beck turned around to confront his opponent but was held back by Makhtar Gueye.
The Liverpool left-back then protested to the nearby assistant referee, repeatedly saying, “he bit me” and “I’ve got a bite mark”, as well as showing the marks on his neck.
After Beck had given the unaware referee the same message, Matt Donohue decided to show the 19-year-old a red card for his kick on Holmes during the melee.
"The kid has took a big chunk out of his neck"
John Eustance says Owen Beck was bitten in the aftermath of his red card challenge ? pic.twitter.com/HiMWhb2vEN
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 22, 2024
When you see the replays, it will be extremely hard for Osmajic to deny Beck’s allegations, and it will be interesting to see what punishment is given.
Blackburn manager John Eustace told Sky Sports: “That’s what happens in local derbies, you can see that the kid has taken a big chunk out of his [Owen Beck‘s] neck.
“Owen was sent off for the tackle, their lad has made a big scene of it, but it was harsh.
“There were a lot of cheap fouls and cards given against us. We are disappointed that we have lost Owen for three games. We will make sure Owen is OK.”
Meanwhile, Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom commented: “I’ve just been told that there is a claim of a bite, we will have to wait and see what happens with that. We don’t want biting on the football pitch, that is not allowed.”
How long was Luis Suarez banned for?
Luis Suarez is, of course, the most high-profile player to have bitten opponents on the pitch – he did so three times across his career.
The Uruguayan’s first offence was in 2010 when he was banned for seven matches for biting PSV’s Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax.
He then repeated this in a Liverpool game against Chelsea, biting Branislav Ivanovic in 2013, after which he missed 10 games.
Amazingly, Suarez did it again at the World Cup in 2014, sinking his teeth into Giorgio Chiellini in a group-stage game between Uruguay and Italy.
That third bite cost him nine international matches and a suspension from all football-related activity for four months.
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