Crystal Palace midfielder Ruesha Littlejohn has been handed an extended five-match suspension for violent conduct after grabbing an opponent by the neck and hurling her to the ground.
The 35-year-old Republic of Ireland international clashed with Leicester’s Hannah Cain during their League Cup fixture on 23 November.
After being shoved by Cain, Littlejohn put her arm around the Leicester player’s neck and drove her head into the turf.
Cain needed medical attention on the pitch – although she was able to complete the match – while Littlejohn received a straight red card.
The usual sanction for violent conduct is a three-game suspension, however the Football Association pushed for a longer ban as they believed the typical punishment was “clearly insufficient”.
An extended sanction has now been enforced by the regulatory commission following a hearing.
Leicester manager Rick Passmoor said Cain was “shaken up” by the altercation but is set to feature against Manchester City on Sunday in their first Women’s Super League game after the international break.
“She was upset and shook up,” Passmoor told his media conference on Friday. “Today was her first day back in after internationals and she is in good spirits.”
Littlejohn ‘regrets’ Cain incident:
Littlejohn, who signed for Women’s Super League 2 side Crystal Palace in the summer, will now be unavailable until after the winter break.
She will be absent for second-tier Palace’s clash with European champions Arsenal in the League Cup quarter-finals on December 19.
Littlejohn will also miss the FA Cup second-round encounter with Lewes, and three WSL2 fixtures against Birmingham, Bristol City and Sheffield United.
The experienced midfielder has said she “regretted” the incident with Wales international Cain.
“Obviously I regret letting my emotions spill over on the pitch,” she said at a media conference with Republic of Ireland during the international break. “I’m quite an emotional person and player.
“That’s not who I want to be on the pitch, so I will learn from it and move forward.”
Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward said Littlejohn had been subjected to an “outpouring” of “disgusting” abuse following the incident.
“She is a human being,” said Ward, who previously coached Littlejohn at Aston Villa and Birmingham City. “She’s someone’s daughter and sister. It’s not OK.
“I look at Ruesha – and it’s not just because I’ve got a long-standing relationship with her. Some of the stuff I’ve seen this week has been disgusting.
“She has acknowledged it was a moment that she deeply regrets.
“We’re not talking about defending the incident here. We’re talking about what follows and we need to do more to protect players.”