Wolves striker Matheus Cunha has been charged by the FA with acting in an improper manner following his red card during his side’s FA Cup defeat at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
Having levelled for the Old Gold, who are 17th in the Premier League, one place and five points ahead of the Blues, to make the fifth round tie 1-1, Cunha was dismissed by referee Sam Barrott in the closing moments of extra-time for punching, kicking and headbutting Cherries defender Milos Kerkez.
The Brazilian international subsequently appeared to refuse to leave the touchline while arguing with staff who were pointing him towards the dressing room and the FA has now confirmed that he has been charged in relation to his reluctance to leave the pitch.
A statement reads: "Matheus Cunha has been charged following the FA Cup tie between Wolverhampton Wanderers and AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 1st March.
"It’s alleged that the forward acted in an improper manner around the 121st minute of the fixture after his dismissal. Matheus Cunha has until Monday 10th March to provide a response.
https://x.com/FAspokesperson/status/1897338873082208624
A red card for violent conduct triggers an automatic three-match suspension but Cunha now looks set for a longer spell on the sidelines.
Following Town’s 2-1 win at Molineux in December, Cunha elbowed and aggressively removed a member of the Blues’ security staff’s glasses.
The clash was missed by referee Simon Hooper but the 25-year-old later accepted an FA charge and was suspended for two matches and fined £80,000. That incident may be taken into account when the latest charge is considered by an independent regulatory panel.
As it stands, Wolves’ 15-goal top scorer is set to miss the Premier League games against Everton, Southampton and West Ham with a one-match extension seeing him also unavailable for the trip to Portman Road on Saturday 5th April.
Cunha apologised to his teammates for his dismissal in an Instagram story after Saturday’s match: "In the end, another game where you guys did your best. I couldn’t lose my head at the end. Sorry.”
Head coach Vitor Pereira said: "After this game the emotional side was very high. A lot of pressure. In the end [Cunha’s reaction] is what can happen. It should not happen, but this is something that happens in football and we must deal with the situation.”
https://x.com/BBCSport/status/1895927138441744822