Southampton defender handed two game ban for abusing officials | OneFootball

Southampton defender Jack Stephens has been handed an additional two game ban after abusing officials in the wake of his sending off against Manchester United.

The Saints defender saw red for a tackle on Alejandro Garnacho as his side fell to a 3-0 defeat, and has not featured for the south coast side since as a result of his ban.

Now, Russell Martin will be without him for a little longer after the Premier League handed him another two game suspension.

According to the fourth official, Stephens called him a "f***ing little c***" before returning to call him a "c***" one more time, while he used the same insult when referee Stuart Atwell showed him the red card ten minutes before fulltime.

Stephens told the FA commission that:

“When the decision was confirmed I was upset. I did something that I am very disappointed with myself for. I know the importance of accepting a referee’s decision but instead I spoke to him saying something that I would not normally say. I then used that language again to Mr Ward.

“This is not an excuse, but it was in the heat of the moment and I was not aggressive towards either of the officials and did not argue with them and left the pitch, returning only to pass on the captain’s armband.”

He will now miss games against Arsenal and Leicester City as his side battle for survival without him.