Ibra escapes punishment for 'stamp'
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has escaped punishment over an alleged stamping incident that could have seen the Paris Saint-Germain star handed a lengthy ban.
• Holyman: Ibra key in title race
Ligue 1 leaders PSG feared Ibrahimovic, 31, may have missed the resumption of their title bid at home to Ajaccio on Friday night after the French Football League's (LFP) Disciplinary Commission reviewed the incident, which occurred during PSG's 1-0 win over Lyon just before Christmas, a triumph that lifted Carlo Ancelotti's men over their opponents and to the top of the table.
Shortly before helping set up Blaise Matuidi for the match-winner, Ibrahimovic leapt over prone OL defender Dejan Lovren, catching the Croatian centre-back with his left boot when landing, and leaving Lovren with a head wound. OL president Jean-Michel Aulas immediately accused Ibrahimovic of stamping on his player, while Lovren himself suggested it had been a deliberate attempt to injure him. The panel rejected those accusations on Thursday.
"After hearing from the player's lawyer and representatives of PSG, and reading the referee's complete report, which was written after seeing the images, the Commission considered it cannot establish beyond reasonable doubt that the player deliberately walked on his opponent, and that, consequently, there was no need to sanction the player," a statement on the LFP website explained.
Had Ibrahimovic been found guilty of stamping, he would likely have faced an exemplary sanction given he had already served a two-game ban for a violent, chest-high challenge on Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier earlier in the season.
