NEW YORK – Major League Soccer on Monday announced that the MLS Disciplinary Committee has suspended New York Red Bulls midfielder Juninho for one additional game and fined him an undisclosed amount for kicking the ball at Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen during a dead-ball situation in the 91st minute of their game on April 17.
The Committee determined that Juninho’s actions constituted violent conduct that endangered the safety of his opponent. (See the incident above.)
The referee issued Juninho a red card, which carries an automatic one-game suspension and fine. Thus, he will serve a total suspension of two games: this past Saturday’s game against New England and April 27 at Toronto FC.
The Brazilian midfielder knew immediately after last week's match that he would receive disciplinary action and took responsibility for his actions.
“I’m not happy about it and I don’t know how many games I’ll get as far as a suspension,” he told reporters. “It wasn’t my first card, but I hope it was my last one.”
