Patric cops four-match ban for biting
Lazio defender Patric has been hit with a four-game suspension following his red card during Wednesday's (AEST) 2-1 defeat to Lecce.
The Spaniard was dismissed by referee Fabio Maresca in stoppage time of the Serie A fixture, having been deemed to bite Lecce's Giulio Donati on the arm.
Felipe Caicedo had scored an early opener for Lazio on the road, only for the struggling hosts to turn the game around thanks to goals from Khouma Babacar and Fabio Lucioni either side of half-time.
The result was a further blow to Simone Inzaghi's squad in its pursuit of the title, though table-topping Juventus also suffered a surprise defeat in the late kick-off, going down 4-2 at Milan.
Lazio will now have to do without Patric for upcoming games against Sassuolo, Udinese and Cagliari, as well as the crunch clash with Juve on 21 July (AEST).
The disciplinary commission also handed down a €10,000 fine and he was not the only Lazio player to be punished.
Team-mate Ciro Immobile must fork out €1,500 for his protests as captain, while goalscorer Caicedo was given a €2,000 fine following a yellow card in the first half for simulation.
