Preston North End forward Milutin Osmajic looks set for a lengthy ban after accepting an FA charge of violent conduct.
The Montenegrin faced the charge after appearing to bite Blackburn Rovers defender Owen Beck on the back of his neck during the Lancashire derby last month. The incident occurred in a melee at the end of the match which saw Welshman Beck sent off before the altercation with Osmajic. The striker was initially yellow carded before being retrospectively charged by the FA, and he appears to have now admitted to the offence having been given until September 30 to respond.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Preston director Peter Ridsdale said Osmajic said, “Milutin Osmajic has responded within the time frame as is appropriate and he has accepted the charge that the FA have put to him.”
“He has accepted the charge that the FA put to him which was that he was seen to bite the opposing player in the game against Blackburn Rovers.”
Alongside any FA charge, Ridsdale suggested that alongside any punishment handed out by the FA, Osmajic had faced disciplinary proceedings from his club.
“We’ve already indicated to the player what we’re doing. I want to keep that obviously in-house but you can be assured that that’s not something that we condone as a football club and we’ve taken appropriate action.”
The FA have track record for giving lengthy punishments for biting, so Osmajic may find himself out of the fold at Deepdale for a while. Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez received a ten-game ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic in 2013, and midfielder Joss Labadie was sanctioned twice for similar incidents. He too received a ten-game suspension on the first occasion while at Torquay United, before being found guilty of a second offence when at Dagenham and Redbridge, for which he received a six-month ban.
Despite the charge, Osmajic has still been an active squad member at Preston. He was a substitute in the weekend’s defeat to Millwall and remains eligible for Wednesday’s clash against Watford, pending any punishment.
Writer’s View
This feels like it has been coming, and Osmajic’s acceptance of the charge makes sense; it was clear as day that he had bitten Owen Beck. He looks likely to receive a lengthy punishment, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he is out for a few months.
As well as the FA ban, he has faced club punishment and may struggle to get back in the team, with many expressing disgust at the incident. For Preston, this could hit them hard with a key attacker looking like he’ll be missing and limited options for replacing him, so the club as well as Osmajic will suffer from this.
Rhys Evitts is a freelance journalist who graduated from the University of Lincoln with a degree in Journalism in 2024. Rhys has contributed to the Real EFL since finishing university in June 2024 and also hosts The Real EFL Podcast, and specialises in the Championship and League One.
