LAFC coach Bob Bradley and central midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye on Thursday made clear their disappointment with the league’s handling of the incident involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mohamed El-Munir in last week’s El Trafico clash vs. the LA Galaxy.
El-Munir suffered a facial fracture in the 3-2 Galaxy victory when Ibrahimovic’s arm hit El-Munir's head as the two collided in an aerial duel, requiring surgery for LAFC’s Libyan fullback this week. But the incident was not unanimously voted by the MLS Disciplinary Committee to be deserving of a red card, leading to a warning for Zlatan rather than a suspension.
“Some of the comments out of the league made no sense,” Bradley told reporters when asked about the matter at his team’s training session on Thursday. “So I also sent the play to a bunch of people that I’ve had the pleasure to coach. Guys that have played in different leagues around the world, guys that have played in World Cups, and their response is far different than what the league had to say.”
Kaye said he didn’t believe Ibrahimovic intended to injure El-Munir, but suggested that the Swedish superstar is not being held to the same disciplinary standards as other MLS players. (This week Ibrahimovic himself complained that the opposite is the case.)
