Esteban Andrada banned for 13 matches after punch on Jorge Pulido | OneFootball

Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Esteban Andrada has been handed a 13-match ban after punching Huesca captain Jorge Pulido during a 1-0 defeat away in LaLiga 2. Spain’s disciplinary committee issued 12 matches for the blow and added one for the second booking that brought his dismissal. According to SuperDepor.com, his future at Zaragoza is now uncertain.

The flashpoint came in stoppage time. Andrada argued with referee Dámaso Arcediano Monescillo near halfway and, as Pulido intervened, the Argentine shoved him to the turf, earning a second yellow and a red card.

Moments later Andrada ran back towards Pulido and struck him in the face with his right hand, sparking a mass melee. Order was restored by security personnel.

Hours later Zaragoza released a club video in which Andrada apologised. He said he was deeply remorseful, described it as an isolated lapse after previously being sent off only for a handball, and promised it would not happen again while asking Pulido’s forgiveness.

The suspension rules him out of the final five matches of the Segunda season. Zaragoza are in the relegation zone to the Segunda Federación, three points from safety.

It is the second time an Argentine goalkeeper has received such a heavy punishment in Spain, after Germán Burgos was banned for 11 matches in 1999 for striking Espanyol’s Óscar Serrano while at Mallorca.

Source: SuperDepor.com