Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic insists he didn't mean to elbow Manuel Lanzini and says he can't understand why he's been banned for three matches: 'It wasn't even a foul'
- Aleksandar Mitrovic was handed a three-match ban for elbowing Manuel Lanzini
- The Newcastle man chose not to appeal against an FA charge of violent conduct
- But Mitrovic said the ban was 'tough to get his head around... it was an accident'
- Mitrovic's Serbia side are one win away from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup
Aleksandar Mitrovic says he did not deliberately elbow West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini and cannot understand why he has been banned for three matches.
The Newcastle striker reluctantly accepted his retrospective punishment after the club chose not to appeal against an FA charge of violent conduct.
Mitrovic - who scored in the 3-0 win over the Hammers - will miss the entirety of the September schedule and the incident has added to Rafa Benitez’s feeling of mistrust towards the Serbian.
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored in the win over West Ham but later earned a retrospective ban
But the 22-year-old said: ‘It is very frustrating for me. These are the rules, but I didn’t mean to do this, the things they have accused me of.
‘It wasn’t even a foul in the game. I have three or four incidents like this every match, so I don’t understand it, I was really surprised.
‘It has been really tough to get my head around. It was an accident. I spoke to Lanzini after the game and he was fine.
‘You maybe get 10 clashes like that with a defender in a game. It was not even a foul, it was not even a yellow card, but I have to accept my punishment. If I say something more they can punish me even more.
‘I haven’t spoken to Rafa (about it) yet, but I will do. I’m not sure what he can say.
Mitrovic played for Serbia over the international break as they edged closer to the World Cup
’It is going to be hard to miss these games. I’ve scored two goals already this season, it is very hard for my head to stay focused and strong.
‘But that’s life. That’s football. I just have to stay fit and sharp so that I can help the team when I return.’
Mitrovic was part of the Serbia side which moved to within one win of next summer’s World Cup following their 1-0 victory in Ireland on Tuesday night.
And that success has been a welcome relief from his troubles on Tyneside.
Mitrovic will miss Newcastle's entire September schedule due to the three-match ban
‘It was an unbelievable night for Serbian football,’ said Mitrovic, who has scored six times in qualifying.
‘It was a really amazing game for us but we have to stay focused and make sure we finish it off in the next couple of games.
‘Getting to the World Cup is a huge thing. It has been a long time coming and I think it is very important for the Serbian people to see us back at a World Cup.
‘It is an unbelievable achievement. We have done it for the Serbian people, for the whole country, we want to make them proud and I hope we have done that. It is an amazing feeling.’
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