SC BASTIA’S BRAZILIAN striker Brandao has been provisionally suspended until September 18 by the French league (LFP) following his headbutt on Paris Saint-Germain’s Thiago Motta after last Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash.
Brandao’s lawyer Olivier Martin explained that his client will appear at a full hearing on Thursday, 18 September into the incident in the tunnel after PSG’s 2-0 win at the Parc des Princes and which left Motta with a fractured nose.
Brandao attended the LFP disciplinary commission hearing in Paris on Thursday on his own request, although he made no comment to the media as he left.
His lawyer said: “Brandao apologised. It is normal that he wanted to talk to the disciplinary commission and not to the tv cameras or on a talk show. He will appear at a hearing into the incident on September 18.”
French Football Federation (FFF) rules allow for a ban of anything from eight matches to two years for such an offence.
The 34-year-old former Marseille striker was suspended for four matches last season for elbowing PSG’s Yohan Cabaye at the Parc des Princes while playing for Saint-Etienne.
Immediately after last Saturday’s incident, Paris president Nasser Al-Khelaifi called for a lifetime ban.
Bastia coach Claude Makelele has left Brandao out of his squad for Saturday’s match against Toulouse, explaining that he had taken the decision to drop him “due to the need to protect the player and his entourage faced with pressure from the media.”
Bastia have “condemned without ambiguity” the player’s action, but PSG are furious at the lack of a more concrete response from the Corsicans.
However, despite his broken nose, Motta is available to play for PSG in Friday’s match away to Evian.
