Wolves will be without one of their star performers in early January following a decision by the Football Association.
Forward Matheus Cunha was banned for two games and hit with an £80,000 fine after admitting charges of misconduct and acting "in an improper manner". This relates to an incident after Wolves' 2-1 home loss to Ipswich Town in the Premier League on December 14 — a result that saw manager Gary O'Neil lose his job.
Cunha had scored an equaliser for Wolves before Jack Taylor's 94th-minute winner sparked some ugly scenes after the final whistle, with Rayan Ait-Nouri shown a late red card for the home side.
The Brazilian has been in excellent form of late and scored in the wins over Leicester City and Manchester United that kick-started Vitor Pereira's time in charge.
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Why did Matheus Cunha get a ban?
Cunha was fined and given a two-match ban after admitting an FA charge of misconduct and acting "in an improper manner" in an incident after the 2-1 loss to Ipswich at Molineux.
The player was caught up in an altercation on the pitch with a member of Ipswich staff after the final whistle during a wider fracas involving both teams. Cunha was seen removing the individual's glasses after grabbing his coat, as other coaches and Wolves players intervened to separate them.
The FA published its full written reasons for the ban on January 7, stating that Cunha was found to have elbowed the Ipswich staff member and "knocked his glasses from his face, causing them to break". Cunha, who produced a written apology for the incident, said he had hurried over to teammate Rayan Ait-Nouri after seeing him surrounded by security. In his statement, he said: "It was never my intention to come into contact with [the staff member] and I certainly never meant to elbow him. I simply wanted to push him away from Rayan." He added that he felt "quite threatened" after being grabbed by the staffer and surrounded by security, so "in the heat of the moment I regrettably reached out and grabbed his glasses. I know it was wrong to do this and I take full responsibility for my actions".
Initially, its commission issued a three-game ban and a £120,000 after rejecting both Cunha's precise version of events, and Wolves' argument that Ipswich security staff "were overly aggressive and contributed to the atmosphere of hostility". However, the commission decided to reduce the ban to two matches and lower the fine because of Cunha's previously clean record, his "sincere" apology, and the fact he offered to pay to replace the staff member's glasses.
What games will Matheus Cunha miss?
The suspension applies to all domestic competitions in which Wolves are involved. That means Cunha had to miss the Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on January 6, and he must also sit out the FA Cup third-round tie at Bristol City on January 11.
He will then be available for selection for the league game at Newcastle United on January 15.
