BURNLEY midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been handed a four-match ban after being found guilty of spitting.
The former Manchester United starlet has also been slapped with a £15,000 fine.
The Athletic reported last month that the 22-year-old had been charged with misconduct by the FA after allegedly spitting at Leeds United fans during the Premier League match on October 18.
Mejbri did not contest the charge or the ban.
The Tunisian international only came on in the 83rd minute of the aforementioned game where Burnley won 2-0.
The incident appeared to take place when he was warming up to come on. Players always warm up down the touchline, frequently in front of opposing fans.
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After the game in October, Lancashire Police said they were aware of what had happened, while Burnley acknowledged the incident committed to working with the police on the matter.
Mejbri joined Burnley in the summer of 2024 from Man United and has made 14 appearances in all competitions this season.
He was once considered a bright prospect at Old Trafford, but the 22-year-old only managed eight league appearances for the Red Devils.
He has only failed to appear in one of Burnley’s Premier League games this term, starting four times in the competition with his textbook aggression crucial to their midfield.
Burnley were likely going to lose Mejbri anyway with the African Cup of Nations approaching.
Tunisia are yet to announce their squad, but the tournament kicks off on December 21 with their first game two days later.
Most players will depart for the tournament on December 15 meaning Burnley probably only really lose their midfielder for two games with Newcastle this weekend and then Fulham the week after.
Burnley sit 19th in the Premier League table and have failed to pick up a single point since they beat Wolves at the end of October.
This is not the first time Clarets boss Scott Parker has had to deal with Hannibal during his time at the club.
Back in January of this year with the club chasing promotion, Mejbri was sent off for stamping on a Stoke player.
Parker said: “I’ve got no real defence. This is a young player who has obviously crossed that line.
“We’ll deal with that internally. Hannibal was actually devastated.
“I’ve been in the arena and sometimes in the heat of the moment emotions take force. He’s crossed the line for us. He understands that and he will understand that in terms of going forward.
“Young players sometimes make mistakes and I’ll address that with him.”
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