Ex-Man Utd star handed huge ban after Club World Cup incident as FIFA take action

A former Manchester United player has been banned by FIFA following what he did during the Club World Cup on Monday.

The Club World Cup is well underway with Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester City and Juventus among the big hitters to have already picked up wins at the revamped tournament.

On Wednesday, Real Madrid got their campaign underway but failed to impress in a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal, during which Trent Alexander-Arnold made his debut for the La Liga side.

But one of the biggest talking points of this week’s action came during Boca Juniors’ 2-2 draw against Benfica on Monday.

Just before half-time of the match, former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera was sent off, despite not being on the pitch, after he became embroiled in an altercation with a pitchside security guard.

Herrera, 35, was initially shown a red card for dissent after protesting a penalty decision given against Boca just before half-time, having tried to confront the referee at the VAR monitor before the security stepped in.

Boca’s Jorge Fidal and Benfica forward Andrea Belotti also saw red later in the game.

On Thursday, Argentine outlet Ole reported that Herrera and Fidal have both received four-match bans.

Meanwhile, Belotti received a two-match ban for his challenge on Ayrton Costa.

“We have already contacted FIFA to submit an appeal,” a Boca spokesperson told the Argentinian press.

However, if the appeal is unsuccessful, the four-match bans would see the Boca duo suspended until the semi-finals if the team progresses to that stage of the competition.

And even if Herrera’s ban is reduced, his fitness may still prove to be an issue, as he was withdrawn midway through the first half due to injury on Monday.

After Boca’s draw against Benfica, head coach Miguel Angel Russo insisted that Saturday’s match with Bayern Munich will “be a physical clash” .

“We’re not thinking about Auckland yet, we’re thinking about Bayern Munich now,” Russo said via @iMiaSanMia.

“They’re a big opponent, historically they’ve won a lot. But Argentine football is big too, and today showed that. We welcome these challenges. But we have to know that Friday’s game will be tougher than today’s."