Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa is set to face an eight-match suspension in La Liga following his red card at Barcelona, say multiple reports.
Marca, Diario AS and Cadena Ser all say that the Spain international will sit out four games due to his insults to the referee and a further four for grabbing his arm.
The striker was shown a straight red card during Saturday’s loss at Barcelona by referee Gi Manzano, who stated in his post-match report that Costa insulted his mother, and that was the reason for the dismissal.
Costa has denied using a derogatory term towards the referee and he is expected to appeal against the decision later this work.
There had initially been suggestions that the former Chelsea player would receive a 12-game ban, but this decision is set to rule him out for the remainder of the campaign.
