Nuno Mendes suspended three matches
Paris Saint-Germain has taken a blow at the start of its Ligue 1 campaign, after the disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League decided to suspend Portuguese player Nuno Mendes for 3 matches, due to the red card he received during the Trophée des champions against Lens.
Mendes was expelled in the final minutes of the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens, after a punch on Michal Skoras, which led the referee Jérémy Pignard to brandish the red card against the Portuguese left-back.
Why it matters for Paris Saint-Germain
The suspension of Nuno Mendes is a blow for Paris Saint-Germain, which will have to do without its Portuguese left-back for the next three matches. The club will have to rely on French player Lucas Digne to replace Mendes.
What comes next?
Coach Luis Enrique will have to rely on Lucas Digne to replace Nuno Mendes. Digne had started as a starter in the last match against Lens, before Nuno Mendes had the opportunity to participate in the second half.
Paris Saint-Germain lost the Trophée des champions against Lens, a few days after being crowned at the place of the Super Cup of Europe against Aston Villa. The decision of the disciplinary committee was taken after Paris Saint-Germain expressed its discontent with the report of referee Jérémy Pignard at the end of the match, considering that the description of the incident was too severe.
The referee had qualified Nuno Mendes' gesture as « violent out-of-play », which has caused the surprise of the Parisian side, which has considered that the game had actually already resumed at the time of the incident, and that the Portuguese left-back was about to launch himself behind the defense of Lens before being hindered by Skoras.
Despite the arguments of the Parisian club, these circumstances have not prevented the disciplinary committee from pronouncing the sanction of three matches of suspension. Nuno Mendes had entered the pitch a few minutes before the start of the match, when Paris Saint-Germain was trailing 1-0, but he had not managed to change the course of the match, before leaving the pitch on a red card in the final minutes.
Coach Luis Enrique will have to rely on French player Lucas Digne to replace Nuno Mendes, after the club recruited him during the summer transfer window to be the direct replacement of the Portuguese left-back. Digne had started as a starter in the last match against Lens, before Nuno Mendes had the opportunity to participate in the second half, but his expulsion will bring the French player back into the starting lineup for the next three matches.
