Preston's Osmajic banned for eight games for bite

Milutin Osmajic received a yellow card following the melee which ensued after Owen Beck's sending off

Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic has been banned for eight games by the Football Association for biting Blackburn's Owen Beck.

The 25-year-old Montenegro international, who admitted the charge of violent conduct, has also been fined £15,000.

The incident followed Beck's sending off in the closing stages of September's goalless Lancashire derby for kicking out at Preston's Duane Holmes.

Osmajic will now be unavailable for selection until Preston's home Championship game against Derby on Saturday, 23 November.

The FA said they will publish written reasons for the suspension "in due course", with Preston adding that they will make no further statement until then.

Following Beck's dismissal, a melee broke out between players from both sides, with the 22-year-old Liverpool loanee protesting to referee Matthew Donohue that he had been bitten by Osmajic.

The Preston player was shown a yellow card for his part in the incident.

But after television replays appeared to show that Osmajic had bitten Beck on his upper back - and with video assistant referee (VAR) technology not used in the Championship - the FA reviewed the footage and charged the North End frontman.

Speaking after the game Blackburn manager John Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Owen's got a big bite mark on the back of his neck and it's a shame the referee didn't see that."

Prior to Osmajic being handed the ban, Preston director Peter Ridsdale told Talksport that the forward "had accepted" the charge and would also face an internal disciplinary process.

"We've already indicated to the player what we're doing," said Ridsdale.

"I want to keep that obviously in-house but you can be assured that that's not something that we condone as a football club and we've taken appropriate action."

Osmajic, who joined the Lilywhites from Cadiz in September 2023, has scored five goals in 11 games this season, including two in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Watford.

Luis Suarez, then of Liverpool, received a 10-match ban in 2013 for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.